My Little Runaway
by BrokenFirePen
Summary: Edward Cullen, straight-laced lawyer from the Carolina Coast, can't shake the image of the girl he sees walking on his beach. AH. AU. Mature.
1. Chapter 1

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux & BrokenFirePen

Chapter One

On evenings when the weather was nice and just before sunset, I treated myself and Tru to a long, leisurely walk along the stretch of beach in front of my coastal home. Tru liked the walks because he hated being cooped up in the house while I was at work all day. I liked the walks because the fresh air and scenery provided a new perspective for me after being cooped up in a stuffy office all day.

I put on the jacket that I had worn to work over top the white button-up I'd also worn, sans tie and a few of the top buttons unfastened. The cool sea breezes that tempered the evenings in the spring warranted the extra layers.

"You ready to go, Tru?" I asked the rough-looking gray and bearded schnauzer. He huffed loudly, not quite a bark. His little toenails clicked over the hardwoods all the way to the kitchen door. Tru circled the welcome mat, impatiently waiting for me to attach the leash at his collar and let him loose for a bit of controlled freedom.

Tru never appeared very pleased at anything we did. The way his fur fell over his eyes made him look like he was wearing a deep, angry scowl all the time. It was only when his stub of a tail waggled a bit that I knew he was happy. Tru was stand-offish when it came to interacting with me. He was almost curt with his mannerisms, always watching me with a wary and calculative gaze.

"You're just a stubborn mutt, aren't you?" I asked the dog as I affectionately scratched around his perky ears. After Tru showed up in my life, I had to do a little research to find out what kind of dog he was. I'd never had a pet when I was a child; I was completely ignorant when it came to dogs, so I turned to the Internet for help. He looked to be a standard schnauzer, and whoever owned him as a puppy docked his tail, but left his ears natural. I'd never taken him to the groomer before, but he was starting to look a little shaggy, and I was thinking his looks and demeanor may benefit from a good haircut. I was thankful for the fact that he didn't really shed and he didn't have a doggy smell.

The sweet ocean air beckoned us both as we stepped out on the deck that led to the water. Tru pulled against the leash, trying to drag me down the last few steps. He loved to explore the sands and chase the birds, and sometimes he'd find a small crab to dig up.

The evening sun fell directly in line with the never-ending stretch of beach, setting right in my eyes. As the cool wind whipped at my hair and clothes, the sun touched my skin with a tentative warmth.

I smiled at people that passed by me. Most were beach combing, looking for shells and the like. Some even had metal detectors, diligently seeking hidden treasure long lost by a forgetful pirate.

After a quarter-mile into our walk, I noticed a girl several yards in front of me. I usually shied away from wandering women on the beach; nine times out of ten they were serious trouble. The girl had on baggy, wide-leg jeans. She carried her shoes in one hand, and her hair, long and unbound, flowed freely with the breeze around her head and shoulders. She looked to be a child, possibly in her late teens. I didn't look at her as we passed each other. I'd learned in my life that ignorance was bliss when it came down to certain things.

Tru and I finished our typical one mile trek and then headed back for home. The sun was falling fast and the evening was turning cool quickly. The beach had cleared of human life drastically, as I met no one for a good distance.

That is until the long-haired girl crossed my path again. This time, I did allow myself a look; it would only be the polite thing to do, to acknowledge her presence. I was curious as to why she was out here all alone, and it being on a school night — more than likely.

My feet faltered in the heavy sand when my eyes met with her face. She was deathly pale, stark white, in the falling twilight. The paleness of her countenance made for the stunning background to the gruesome purple and black bruise she was sporting over the whole of her delicate left cheek.

I felt strange — I felt angry as I looked, stared, really, at the damage that had been done to her, this tiny, harmless slip of a girl. As we drew closer to each other, I noticed her slightly smiling down at Tru. Then her haunting eyes flickered up to mine. She immediately rolled her head away and to the side, allowing her long, dark hair to fall over the left view of her face, effectively hiding herself from me.

She scurried down the beach, like a startled squirrel, her head hanging down. I stared after her, wanting to call her back to me — but my breath clotted up inside my chest and no sound came out of my mouth. _Just stay away, don't get involved_, a loud, uncaring voice piped up in my head.

I walked the rest of the way home, uncomfortable with the situation. I sent up a prayer that the girl would find help, since she obviously didn't want anything to do with me.

There _it_ was again. That eye-sore of a vehicle. It's not like I'd usually take notice of something so arcane, but the truck stood out to my eye every time I saw it — which was quite frequently, lately. I had seen it parked in the public beach access lot located near my house. It was bulky and old and rusted out in places. It was a bright, chalky red, and was hard to miss. This was the only reason I took note of the truck; it had been sitting in the public lot every evening when I come home and every morning when I left for work, but always parked in a different spot. Nobody was on the beach that often. Not even me, and I owned beachfront property.

There wasn't anything to do about it, really… but I saw it every day for two weeks in a row.

Just as I saw that beat-up girl on the beach, every evening, during my twilight walks.

That evening, I was determined to talk to her. My focus on the paperwork in front of me blurred as I thought of her and what I could possibly say to her. The bruises on her face had lessened slightly over the last few days. It never failed that when I did lay eyes on those marks on her milky skin, a terrible, burning fire was lit within me. I burned with anger at who had abused her; I all but burned with the desire to find the asshole who did it and break his face wide open for touching her.

These thoughts were irrational for me, mainly because I wasn't a violent man. I knew nothing about her, yet I felt this… fierceness, some barbaric nature that lay dormant within me to simply grab her up, drag her to my home, lock her away and protect her, and keep her safe from any and all harm.

_Very irrational, Cullen._

As the day wore on, the more irrational I felt. I was antsy, impatient, and ready to leave and get out on the sand so I could see her. Just to make sure that she was safe.

This time, I was the one pulling Tru out the door and down the steps and onto the beach. He blew out an indignant doggy huff at being treated so atrociously. I silently apologized for my over-eager behavior and let him take the lead.

It was another beautiful spring evening. Clouds in pretty pastels swirled overhead, dancing and changing just for the setting sun. I took a second to enjoy it before searching the face of every person I passed on the beach. A deep, panicky feeling sprouted in my chest the farther I walked. There was a great need in me to find her, and to find her quickly.

Tru was beyond aggravating as he started pulling against the leash, growling and barking. He pulled harder and harder the closer we got to a particular area.

"What the hell is wrong, you crazy mutt," I grumbled as he continued to pull me to a set of weathered stairs leading off the beach. I recognized them as the steps to the public access parking lot. Tru quieted momentarily, sniffing the bottom step with meticulous care. He snorted and shot up to the plank walkway. The leash ripped out of my hand at the force with which Tru pulled. I cursed the dog, but had no choice but to follow at a run. Tru stopped every so often to bark at me, looking to see if I was behind him, and then would continue on. I was getting mad at the damned little nuisance and started threatening to turn him in to the pound.

I rounded the last corner of the insanely long boardwalk, and saw Tru run up to that old, chalky red pickup truck.

I was a bit dumbfounded when he ran to the driver's side door and started rearing back on his hind legs. I was afraid his toenails were going to leave scratches on the faded, powdery paint as he got closer and put a front paw on the door.

I ran up beside the truck and grabbed for his leash, ready to jerk him away. I was completely embarrassed that my dog was behaving like a freaking lunatic. And about to damage someone's property, no less!

I froze when I heard a muffled sound come from the open window of the truck. It sounded like crying or someone in pain. I carefully peeked inside and was stunned by what I saw. The girl… the small, sweet girl with the bruised face was hunched over in the driver's seat. I reached through the open window and almost touched her. My fingers nearly tangled in her long, silky hair, but I stopped myself. I pulled my hand away and took stock of the situation.

There was a pillow and a rolled up blanket next to her on the bench seat. There was an overstuffed duffel bag on the floor. A cosmetic bag sat on the dash with a tube of toothpaste sticking out through the open zipper.

She was living out of this truck, I was sure of it. It had been in this lot every morning and every night for, at least, the last two weeks. It added up. Or... it seemed to.

I was a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I'd found her, she was here, and just a hand's breadth away.


	2. Chapter 2

My Little Runaway

By Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Two

"Miss? Are you all right?" I spoke calmly, softly, so as not to startle her. I saw her stiffen, her slim shoulders squared off before she raised her head from the steering wheel.

Through a mass of dark, chestnut hair, I saw a set of red-rimmed, deep brown eyes peep up at me. She visibly relaxed and I saw a glimmer of recognition flash briefly in those chocolate depths.

I gave her a little smile and asked, "Did you know that it is illegal to stay here during the night?"

Her ghostly face paled a shade lighter before she spoke softly, "You won't call the cops, will you?"

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "Well, I am the chair of the community watch program; this is a community service that would be required of me. I'd hate to have to break the rules I work so hard to uphold."

The girl groaned and let her head fall back against the headrest.

"But, I'm prepared to be sympathetic to your plight. You should know, though, that my sympathy does not come without conditions." I know I sounded mean and maybe even slightly nefarious, but I had to get this girl some help – by any means possible.

Her big eyes moved to mine and warily sized me up. "What conditions?"

"Don't worry, I just want to help. Tru, here, was the one that found you. So, you can place all the blame on him for ratting you out." I glanced down at the pepper and salt colored dog and he just stared back up at me with his ears perked and head tilted to the side.

The girl raised herself to look out the window and down at the dog. I could tell she was smiling. "What did you call him?" she quietly asked.

"Tru. It's short for Truant, because he's just a runaway. I have to keep him on a leash at all times or he's gone. He'd run away from his previous owners, I'm sure of it. I put up fliers, but nobody wanted to claim the sorry mutt. So he stays with me now." I bent down and gave Tru a good scratch. In hindsight, I was thankful for the wild goose chase he'd led me on. It brought me to _her_.

"So… it's Tru's dinner time. Mine too, for that matter. And we'd like the pleasure of your company, if you would join us?" Tru and I both tilted our heads to the side as we looked up at the girl looking down at us from her beat-up pickup.

"Is that one of your conditions for not turning me in to the authorities?" she asked.

"Um, just one of many," I told her shamelessly. "But, the first thing we have to do is get this beast to a different location. Does it run?" I stepped back and gave the truck a skeptical once-over.

"Of course it runs." She crossed her arms indignantly.

"Oh, excellent." I lifted Tru into the bed of the truck and tied his leash to an open slot in the metal side panel.

"I should drive, since I know where we're going. If you wouldn't mind sliding over?" I gestured to the passenger's side.

"I don't even know you, mister. How do I know you're not some axe murderer or rapist that happens to reel in his prey with a becoming smile and a cute little dog?"

I laughed out loud, happy to see that she had a quick wit about her. "Lady, I'm a lawyer. I put axe murderers and rapists away."

She seemed to consider this. I put my hand out to her and introduced myself. "My name is Edward Cullen, and as I've said, I'm a lawyer, and a damn good one. I live just around the corner. I've lived there for almost two years. That's where we can park your truck. Now it's your turn. How do _I_ know _you're_ not an axe murderer or a rapist?"

Her hand touched with mine and there was a sweet warmth that swept through me, starting at my fingertips. She rolled her eyes at me before she said, "I'm Bella, and… this is my truck."

"Okay, that's a start," I smiled. "Bella, is it all right if I drive your truck for a few minutes?" I moved my eyes over it in a depreciating manner before saying, "I promise not to wreck it."

Bella let out a deep breath and reluctantly opened the door. She slid over, away from the wheel, and gathered her things at her feet. I slowly got in and oriented myself to the old, outdated controls. They really didn't build these trucks for six-foot-two-sized men back in the nineteen-whatevers.

The turning engine cranked with a loud rumble and I looked over to Bella with a triumphant smile. She watched me closely as I pulled out of the public lot and turned onto the next side street. The sun had set, leaving the sky a half pink and half darkening blue. I guided the truck to the end of the private drive where my house was located.

I had a nice house. It was my dream house, and I worked hard to make payments on it every month. The driveway curled around a few trees to reveal the handsome two-story. It was a lot of space for one man and one dog, but all that space came in handy when the whole family came over to visit.

I pulled the keys out of the truck's ignition and put them in my pocket for safe-keeping. Then I untied Tru's leash and let him off the back of the truck.

I rushed to the front door to hold it open for her. She looked so small as she approached my house.

"Milady," I said as I bowed and swept my hand through the door.

The lovely thing blushed and slowly walked in.

"May I take your jacket and your bag, Bella?"

The girl looked around the foyer and hugged her arms around herself. She shook her head, readjusting a bag she had slung over her shoulder. I said, "Okay," and then led her through to the great room.

I heard her quick intake of breath as she walked behind me. The cathedral ceiling was high and impressive. Tall, expertly dressed windows lined one wall and overlooked the deck and the beach. Logs sat ready to be lit in the large fireplace. A widescreen television hung over the mantle. Cozy, matching couches and chairs were placed around the middle of the room, comfortable and inviting. My mother, Esme Cullen, had designed and laid out everything just so. It really was a wonderful place to call home.

I entered through the archway under the upstairs balcony at the end of the room which led to the kitchen and dining room.

As soon as we stepped through to the large kitchen, I heard a small growl. At first thought, it sounded like it had come from Tru, but when I looked behind me, the girl had her small hands pressed to her stomach, trying to cover up the noise.

A flush of pink rushed to her cheeks, blossoming into a rosy red over her pale, delicate features. As if to reply to her stomach's growl, Tru's stomach made the same noise. I gave them both a small smile and leaned against the marble-topped island counter that also held a sink. "So… who's hungry?"

Tru barked once and Bella's fingers came from the tucked position under her arm as she slightly raised her hand, appearing to be ashamed that she was hungry. I nodded, satisfied, and stood straight.

"Do you have any requests on what you'd like to eat?" She shook her head. "Are you allergic to anything?" Another shake. "Any foods you'd prefer _not_ to eat?"

A faint, almost nonexistent smile crept onto her face. "Eggs," she whispered, her jaw tightening then relaxing a few times.

I nodded and got to work. I retrieved a few things from the refrigerator for my dinner with Bella, but remembered Tru when he whined at me, nipping at my ankles to make sure I didn't forget him. I sighed, but put down his dog bowl and filled it with food. He dove in, scattering kibble around his spot on the floor, but he efficiently snatched up any stray bits.

With hands washed and dried, I began to prepare the food. While chopping up vegetables, that I was later going to stir fry, I looked up and saw Bella still in the same position, her sad and lanky figure awkwardly standing in the middle of the kitchen. I put my cutting knife down and appraised her, a curious look on my face. She watched me through her wall of hair, her chocolate eyes wary and dark. I kept staring at her, only blinking once or twice. She swallowed nervously, her eyes shining brightly at me, despite their sadness.

"You are allowed to sit down, you know," I said quietly, slowly taking the vegetables in my hands and placing them in the sizzling butter. I reached across the island and tapped the back of the barstool with my wooden spoon. "Have a seat, make yourself comfortable."

She moved slowly, reaching a hand toward the seat, but then reared back before she made contact with it. "No, thank you, though."

I furrowed my brow at her, genuinely confused as to why the girl wouldn't want to sit down. She swallowed nervously again, hugging her torso tightly. Her eyes drifted to the hard wood floor and I felt a twang of sadness for her. _Is she afraid to sit down? _I thought to myself, putting the rest of the vegetables in the pan.

"You… you could-" She looked up at me, her long and messy hair hiding most of her face. I sighed, struggling to find the right words, and tried again. "What would _you_ like to do?"

Bella's face twisted in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you can't possibly be comfortable standing in the middle of my kitchen." A half smile appeared on her face and I praised myself for its appearance. "So, what would _you_ like to do?"

Bella looked at the floor, then down at herself. Her ghostly white hands reached up to grab some of her hair and brought it gingerly to her nose. "Shower."

I nodded once. "Well, there's my bathroom down here, and two more upstairs. Help yourself to whichever one you-"

"No," she said, the quiet word interrupting me. "I can't. I don't want to impose."

I shook my head slightly, quickly, shocked by her words. Was it not I who invited her to dinner when she looked as though she hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks? Was it not I who wanted to give her a place to stay when she was living in her rusty old truck and had nowhere to go? After contemplating for a moment, it suddenly dawned on me.

"Host's honor, I won't look." She bit her lip, rocking back and forth on the balls of her small feet. I noticed the rubber toe to one of her sneakers was beginning to wear thin, and I could see the slightest rip in the front of it. When she still didn't respond, I sighed. "There's a lock on the door. If I did try to come in, you would hear the click; it's the loudest lock in the world."

That seemed to please the young girl because her face lit up, hopeful. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and lead her up the stairs from the great room. I hesitated out on the balcony, looking between the three rooms I had to offer. One was decked out in a navy-blue nautical theme. My oldest brother, Jasper, usually took that room when he visited. The next was a room with two twin-sized beds. I humored myself and always made my other brother, Emmett, and his girlfriend stay in that one whenever they came over.

The last was probably perfect — for Bella. Its window faced the beach, and the queen-sized bed looked a little more feminine with its ruffled skirts and flowered quilt. Mom had fixed this one up for herself for when she and dad came to visit. I opened the door and looked behind me to see Bella marveling at the room, gripping the strap of the bag, which was slung over her shoulder, very tightly.

"There's the bathroom," I said, pointing into the bedroom, to the small door on the far side wall. I stepped in, feeling her presence behind me. "Towels here, soap under the sink and anything else you need in that cabinet."

I paused and stared down into her eyes, willing her to understand. "You're safe here."

She swallowed, nodded and gave me a small "Thank you," before I left, shutting the bathroom door behind me. As soon as the door was shut, I heard the lock loudly click. I laughed silently to myself, once, and then reached out to press the lock on the bedroom door, just for good measure, shutting that behind me as well.


	3. Chapter 3

My Little Runaway

written by

Maddux & BrokenFirePen

Chapter Three

Twenty minutes after Bella had started her shower, I had the vegetables ready. I was making an Italian dish, so I had the pasta boiling in a large pot while I toasted the garlic bread in the oven. The kitchen held the aroma of onions and red, yellow, and green peppers mixed with salt and black pepper. I leaned against the counter and took a deep breath in, soaking up the aroma.

Just as I had done that, I heard the sound of pattering feet, and someone clearing their throat. I opened my eyes to see Bella's figure before me, hidden by too-large, black sweat pants and a baggy, gray T-shirt, with her hooded jacket covering that. Her hair was partially dry, most of it gathered in clumps around her face.

I slid a glass of ice water to the edge of the counter, embarrassed that I hadn't thought to offer her the simple hospitality of something to drink earlier. "Thirsty?" I asked her.

Bella padded over with her arms clamped together. Her hand trembled as she reached out to take the glass. She took a tentative sip and hastily returned the glass to the counter, the condensation making it slide a bit on the glossy surface. She stepped back and brought her eyes up to mine.

"Thanks," she whispered.

We both stayed like that for seconds… or maybe, it was minutes. Who knows? All I know is that her deep, dark eyes were boring into my green ones, and I felt a wave of warmth rush through me when I thought that, hopefully, I was doing the right thing by helping this poor girl. I couldn't help but notice that she had heavy, tired looking bags under her eyes. They stood out, much like the fading bruises on her cheek.

She continued to watch me closely, no doubt judging the sincerity of my own character. I wondered about her conclusions. Did she see someone trustworthy when she looked at me? Did she find me lacking in some way? Did she see a man who could be harboring ulterior motives by inviting her into his home?

I wanted her to stay. I wanted her to feel safe in my home. I had no agenda, other than giving her the help that no one else had given her. Where would she go if she left here? There weren't any domestic violence shelters nearby. I certainly didn't want her to go back to where she'd come from, only to get beaten up again. And as ridiculous as it was to want to bring a total stranger into my own personal space – someone who could be nothing more than a thief and a liar – I still felt the desire to shelter her. I was generally an excellent judge of character. It was a skill I'd acquired by reading witnesses that I questioned in the courtroom and through thousands of hours in counsel with clients. I didn't feel that Bella was a bad person. I just felt that she'd been dealt a really nasty hand in her life.

After a moment, she broke her gaze away, turning her back to me. Tru scampered over to her, jumping up on his hind legs. Bella folded herself into a squatting position, running her hands vigorously over his head, tousling his ears and long fur. He began to lap his tongue over her face and I heard a small giggle escape her. I was surprised by this. Tru never would initiate contact with me. He'd just tolerate any petting, but with Bella, he sought her out and encouraged her attentions. I smiled to myself as I continued working, thinking what a mangy little traitor he was. But it warmed my heart that Bella had found a bit joy with Tru.

"You're a lucky one," I said, turning the burner down to a simmer.

Slowly, she brought her attention to me, a confused look on her face. "He isn't usually friendly with people he's just met, and he certainly doesn't ask for petting." My mind thought back to all the times I'd sat in my recliner, reaching out to pet Tru. He'd sit through it for a second, but I knew he didn't exactly enjoy it. And here I was again, reaching my hand out to someone, offering up a little piece of myself that no one wanted. _What am I doing?_ I had no idea what to do with her or what to say to her.

Bella stood and brushed off her shirt and sweatpants. She reached up and started chewing on her thumbnail, looking out to the now completely dark sky. The stars were winking out at her and she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"When I was living in my truck, I would just lie there and watch the stars in the sky through the window," she whispered. She suddenly slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had just said aloud, like she was ashamed of it.

I smiled. "I do that all the time." She turned her head to look at me, interest flashing in her eyes. "You know, there are several places to sit outside. It's a wonderful spot for watching the stars," I said, pointing to the wooden deck beyond the windows. "You could go sit there while I finish up. It won't be long, but you can always go back out when dinner's over. Take an afghan off the sofa."

"I… I'm… Okay," she stuttered, slipping quietly out of the dining area.

I heard the side door in the great room open, then close. Through the kitchen window, I could see her pattering down the steps to the bench that resided near the edge of the deck. Tru, who had recently been by my side waiting for me to drop him some of the food I was preparing, was now scratching at the door in the other room, his nails making clicking noises against the glass.

Shaking my head, I walked over and opened it for him, and laughed as he bolted down the deck to the bench Bella was sitting on. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her head tilted back, watching the stars twinkle and shine in the dark sky. I could see a smile on her face and I felt one creep onto mine when I saw that she finally appeared free and happy; it was the first time I'd seen her like this since I'd set eyes on her almost two weeks ago.

* * *

We sat at the dining room table and I'd cracked the window open so we could hear the crashing waves as the evening tide rose. I'd always felt comforted by the thunderous sounds of the waves beating against the sands. The briny air also lent to the feeling of comfort. The beach was home to me.

Bella consumed her meal like it would be her last. Watching her eat so quickly made me think of all she must have gone through to become so hungry, and how much time had passed since her last decent meal. I wanted to find out more about her situation, so I tried to speak to her in a way that wouldn't threaten her, even though I knew it probably would. I dreaded the thought of destroying the wary truce we'd seemed to achieve.

"So, where did you come from?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair and refolded my napkin, trying to occupy my hands.

Bella dropped her face to look down at the table. Strands of her long hair fell across her eyes, but she brought her hand to her cheek, her fingertips ghosted over the once-horrible marks on her skin.

Her little eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head. "Near Fayetteville." One index finger pressed against the flesh below her cheekbone, as if testing the pain that was left from the internal wounding.

I nodded, making note of her body language. "I'm familiar with that town. That's where my eldest brother Jasper is a Drill Sergeant in the Army. He's stationed at Fort Bragg."

Silence filled the room once again, the waves on the beach the only noise I could hear. I felt as if I had to get her to talk to me. I wanted to know what she was thinking, why she was here, who gave her the bruises – but I didn't want to come on too strong and scare her from answering.

"What's your favorite music?" She was silent. "Favorite movie?" Silence. "Favorite book?" I felt as though I was interrogating her, but I kept going. I needed to know more about her, her interests, hobbies, even her favorite number, for crying out loud. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. Thank God," she said, quick and sharp.

I thought it a pretty peculiar answer. "So you never wanted siblings?" I asked. Bella didn't respond.

I tried another line of questioning. "What do you like to do when you go out with friends?"

She stared down at her empty plate. Her eyes seemed like they were wishing for more food to appear; she didn't ask, though. I refilled her plate, scooping out pasta and vegetables for her, which she instantly dove into – like she'd done the first round of the meal. For a while there was nothing but the quiet scraping of her fork against the plate and the waves crashing on the beach.

"I wasn't allowed to have friends," she said suddenly, looking up at me through her curtain of hair.

I frowned. "Why wouldn't you be allowed to have friends, Bella?" This bit of news was confusing, and threw me for a loop. I thought it was a given that every teenage girl had at least two best friends to share her secrets with.

Bella absently gathered some of her hair in her left hand and combed through it with the fingers of her right hand. Her gaze kept well away from mine and it finally went to the window. Her soft lips pressed together in a thin line. "I don't think I want to talk about it. I just... I'm so tired and I'm so..." came her reluctant, whispered answer. I accepted her unfinished words and took a sip of my ice water, looking out the window absentmindedly.

Until she wiped at her face and I caught a glimpse of a few crystal tears sparkling on her lower lashes. I really didn't know how to deal with a crying girl. I started to feel a bit distressed at the situation, so I stood and grabbed up our plates to take to the dishwasher. I heard Bella scramble to her feet behind me.

The next sounds seemed to clash off the walls like a screaming bell; feet stumbling, glass smashing against the floor, and Tru beginning to bark.

I whirled around, scared that she might have hurt herself, and was shocked when I found her cowering away from the mess she had made. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she chanted in low tones over and over again, her whole body shaking, an arm thrown over her face – like she was trying to protect it.

I quickly went to her, only trying to console her, but she flinched away from me, pressing herself against the wall.

"Bella, are you all right?" I asked, alarmed and confused. I stepped back, a good distance away, not wanting to scare her again. I could see her cradling her hand to her chest and rocking back and forth on her feet. "Bella, are you hurt? Talk to me." The dog was barking like crazy, his piercing yips ringing loudly in my ears.

"Tru, shut up!" I swatted at the dog, and he darted a few feet away, still making a ruckus. I turned back to Bella to try and calm her. "Bella, please tell me what's wrong." I reached out to offer comfort to her, but as soon as my hand made contact with her wrist, she flinched like I'd slapped her.

"Oh. Shit," I said quietly as I had stepped back into the broken glass, crunching it beneath my shoes.

"I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me. I didn't mean to break it. I w-won't do it ag-again!"

_Lord, Almighty, help me._ She thought I was going to hurt her for accidentally breaking a measly drinking glass? I did the only thing I could think of to get her to quit crying – I reached around her and picked her up, cradling her tightly in my arms. Every small muscle in her body was tensed and wound tight, ready to deflect a blow, or ready to fight.

I took her away from the sharp, broken glass, and sat down in the great room on the couch. I just held her and hugged her. Tru huffed and snorted and stood on his hind paws to get a better look at Bella. The dog had truly taken a liking to her.

"Shhh, everything is just fine, Bella. I'd never hurt you. You're safe, now," I assured her in a low, calm voice. I tried to make her understand that nothing bad was going to happen.

She shook and sobbed for a good ten minutes. It was like an emotional dam had broken from within, and it was pouring out of her at an alarming rate. I kept up my vocal reassurances until, finally, her body relaxed. And all the while, Tru would let out small, pitiful whines, mourning right along with her.

Soon after the deluge, soft snores alerted me to the fact that the girl in my arms had fallen asleep. I was nothing but relieved. Bella thought I was going to hit her. She fully expected me to, after the glass had shattered all over the floor. I knew that, from now on, I'd have to tread carefully when interacting with her. I never wanted her to think I would be abusive towards her, even though someone in her life had not treated her with such regard.

I'd been speculating on the things she'd said earlier. That she hadn't been "allowed" to have friends. She probably wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend, either. This led me to believe that it had to have been an authority figure that put her under such restrictions. Like a parent or guardian. And more than likely, it was that parent or guardian who'd put the bruises on her.

I swallowed down the anger that was darkening my thoughts. I needed to take care of Bella, now. Her safety and comfort were the most important things at the moment.

I eased off the couch, effortlessly supporting Bella's slight weight in my arms. She needed a good night's rest; the dark circles under her eyes were a testament to that. I knew she would be comfortable in my mom's upstairs bedroom.

I maneuvered the comforter and the sheets back so that I could get Bella under the covers. I carefully laid her down and turned on the lamp sitting atop the nightstand. The light gave the room a warm pink hue. She still had her hooded jacket on. I reached for that, but then I definitely thought better of it. I'd hate for her to wake up while it looked like I was undressing her.

No… better to leave the jacket on.

I tucked her in, because... isn't that what people usually do? I didn't know. I left the lamp on for her, in case she woke up in the middle of the night and got scared.

After that, I didn't know what else to do for her.

Leaving the door wide open, I crept quietly down to the kitchen to clean up our dishes from dinner and to also sweep up the broken shards of glass that lay scattered across the dining room floor.


	4. Chapter 4

A charming feminine laugh stole my attention away from the article I was reading in the morning paper.

I pushed my reading glasses farther up my nose, and I listened intently. It sparkled off the walls of house like magic, the sound of her laugh; Bella's laugh. I wanted to hear it again and again.

The smile that pulled at my lips didn't leave as she came down the stairs. She had dressed in a pair of jeans and had her jacket on. I put the paper down on the coffee table and greeted her with a chipper, "Good morning."

Bella paused on the bottom step, Tru right beside her, and looked up at the sound of my voice. I frowned when I noticed that she had her bag with her, like she was all packed up and ready to go.

"I don't want you to leave," I told her quietly, frowning. Until yesterday, I hadn't realized how... lonely it was here.

"I shouldn't stay here… I mean, I don't exactly have much faith in mankind, anymore," she hedged, shaking her head, her eyes guarded.

"Where are you going to go? What are you going to do? Do you have a job? Money? Someone else to help you?" I was getting irate, and I noticed that my words seemed to beat the life right out of her. She deflated more and more with each probing question. I was immediately ashamed of myself for doing that to her.

I got up and approached her with some caution. "I'm sorry, Bella, I didn't mean to sound like such an asshole. But, you don't have to go. You can live here for as long as you like. You'll be safe here. What I suppose I'm trying to say is, you _should _stay here, for your own safety. Find your feet again."

"I don't…" I cut her off before she could finish.

"Is there somewhere else you have to be?" I asked softly.

"No," she whispered.

"Okay, so… stay. It's as simple as that." I shrugged. "I have to leave for work in an hour. Come have breakfast with me. We can figure this out, Bella." I gave her a smile, hopefully one that would encourage her to accept, and not scare her away.

She set her bag down on the stairs and glanced over my dress shirt and tie. "You dress really nice for work."

I self-consciously smoothed my hand over my tie and looked at my clothes. My shirt was light blue; the tie was yellow and the suit a dark navy pinstripe. It was a perfect imitation of what my father liked to wear when he went to work. I'd not really put much thought into what I looked like to other people; I didn't work out, though my metabolism ran pretty high, and the evening walks helped keep me in shape. My glasses slipped down my nose and I pushed them up as my eyes met hers. In that moment, I wondered what Bella thought of me.

My heart sped up nervously at that thought. What does she think of me? Lord only knows the possibilities, but when Bella looked at the floor, her color heightening as she blushed, I had a feeling that what this young girl thought of me wasn't as bad I imagined it to be.

"I already know you don't care for eggs, but I can whip us up some pancakes, if you'd like."

With our short stacks plated in front us, smothered in syrup and covered in peanut butter, I wracked my brain on how to broach the subject of why Bella was living as a runaway.

"Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Bella?" I gave her an encouraging smile before I started cutting my pancakes into bite-sized morsels.

Her eyes were guarded as she watched my hands. "Twenty-one. Do you always cut up your pancakes into little slices of pie?" She pointed to my plate with the tines of her fork.

"Huh? Pie?" I looked down to see what she meant. Sure enough, the fluffy, round cakes were cut up in triangular shapes, like a pie would be. A short, nervous chuckle escaped my lips. I was just so relieved that Bella was older than she looked; I couldn't care less how my pancakes were cut.

"Mom always used to cut them up for me like this when I was a kid. It's still how I like to eat them." I shrugged a shoulder and took a bite.

Bella actually cracked a smile at me. I adjusted my glasses to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

My returning smile was probably goofy.

I shook myself from my musings and thought of the day ahead. Bella would be here by herself. I still had her truck keys, and I was planning on holding them for her. As wrong as that sounded, I just couldn't let her drive away without knowing she had a safe place to go.

"I've written down all the numbers you can reach me at; there's a note on the fridge. No one ever calls the house phone. If it rings, it's just me." I'd even taped an extra house key to the note for her use.

She nodded in between taking small bites of her breakfast. The hunger of last night seemed to be sated. And no tears this time. Things were looking up.

"Help yourself to what's in the fridge. I won't be back for lunch, so you'll have to fend for yourself."

"I don't cook," she mumbled.

"Oh. Well… there's a microwave meal in the freezer… and fruit on the counter." I looked around, trying to think if there was something I was forgetting.

"Tru will be very glad that you're here with him," I told her. "You guys can go for walks, play on the beach, watch TV…"

"It'll be okay, Edward. I'll be fine."

I found it strange that my heart squeezed uncomfortably when she said my name. I left the table and put my plate away in the dishwasher. It was time for me to go.

"Call me if you need anything." I slid my suit jacket on and grabbed my briefcase. I stared at the girl sitting at the dining table, and I felt so awkward, like I was a pimpled, gawky, teenage boy… just like I used to be.

I cleared my throat and readjusted my glasses. "I'll, uh, be back after five. Keep the door locked."

I smiled again and I left.

When I wasn't consumed by the massive amount of paperwork that was a constant in my profession, I thought about Bella. _Is she doing all right?_ _Did she figure out how to use the remote controls to the TV and the stereo? Did she find the hot tub?_

I stopped myself there. It wouldn't be a good thing to think about Bella in the hot tub...

I decided to call.

Just to make sure she was okay.

No answer.

Right. She was probably just outside with Tru. Nothing to worry about.

At my lunch break, I called her again. She still wasn't picking up the phone. I reminded myself that she couldn't leave. I still had her keys. She would be there when I got home. And I told myself this over and over.

When it got close to the end of the day, I cut out of the office early. The anxiety was starting to eat a hole into the lining of my stomach.

Her truck was sitting right where I'd left it. But Bella was not in the house. Tru wasn't there, either.

I ran to the large windows overlooking the deck and let myself out through the side door.

As I got closer to the beach and moved down the boardwalk, I could hear them.

Tru was barking and yipping at Bella as she gingerly let the cold waves touch her bare toes. As soon as the water got too close, she would squeal and dance away from it. Tru was having a wonderful time chasing her.

I slowed and my heart finally granted me sweet, blessed relief at seeing that she was fine. More than fine. I sat on the bottom step and sighed as I watched her. Her laughter was enchanting. Her hair flew wildly behind her in loose waves. There was a huge smile lighting her whole face.

There was no one else on the beach, as the day carried a slight chill, and I knew the water to be rather cold in late April. She played with such carefree abandon on the deserted beach. Even Tru's stubby tail wagged furiously back and forth.

Soon the duo was running toward the boardwalk. Bella gathered her socks and shoes from where she'd left them piled in the sand. She was running again when she had them in her hands, but she came to an abrupt halt when she saw me sitting on the steps.

I couldn't help but stare up at her. She was so pretty with her tousled hair fluttering around her pale face and rosy cheeks. She...

She was speaking to me, and I hadn't heard a word she'd said.

"I'm sorry... what?"

Her little brows came together in confusion. "I wanted to know if you'd like to walk with me and Tru."

"Oh. Yeah," I squeaked, then cleared my throat and delivered a smoother, cooler sounding "Yes."

I jumped up to stand at her side, but she just smiled and pointed down at my feet. "I don't think you want to get sand all in your shiny shoes," she said.

"Yes. Quite right." Embarrassed at my enthusiasm, I sat back down, removed my shoes and socks, and rolled up the cuffs on my pant legs.

I felt so peculiar as I walked next to her, close to her. She didn't seem to be afraid of me today, and every few steps, the back of her cool hand would brush against the back of mine. I brought that tingling hand up and started loosening my tie, because it was beginning to choke me. Then I undid as many buttons of my collared shirt as I could.

Even that didn't help as I felt myself break out into a cold sweat.

The quiet between us wasn't a bad kind of quiet. It was pleasant. Every few seconds I cut my eyes to the side so I could look at her. And every few seconds, my eyes would linger on her. Then she would catch me, and we'd both look away with a blush burning on our skins.

I barely knew this girl, but I couldn't deny that I was attracted to her. She had just ensnared me from the first moment I'd laid eyes on her. But how could I be so enamored of a girl that I'd only just met and knew absolutely nothing about?

I _needed_ to know her. I _wanted_ to know her.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?" She looked up into my eyes as she said my name so breathily. I was startled to find that she completely disarmed me when she did that. Whatever I had planned to say, it left me. I had to think of something fast.

"Uh… Can you tell me something about yourself? Something that no one else knows?"

"Probably." She looked out over the water. "There's a lot that no one knows about me. But none of it I'm willing to tell…"

"Oh. Well, what do you dream about, then?"

She shrugged and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She still held onto Tru's leash with her left hand. "My dreams aren't very nice. Don't like to dream… and dreaming never got me anywhere."

I was surprised at how heartbreaking that was for me to hear. Every girl should have dreams. "Why did you come _here_, then? Can you tell me that?"

She nodded, looking ahead, and swiped a few long strands of hair from her face. "I just knew the beach was east. So, I drove east. And I didn't look back. I remember coming to the beach with my mom when I was eight or nine. I loved it. And I was so happy here with her." She took a deep, shaky breath before she continued. "That was the last time I ever remember being happy."

I thought about that for a few minutes. No happiness in over ten years? "What happened? Why was that the last time you were happy?"

She swallowed thickly and her jaw started clenching. I thought she was going to avoid answering my questions.

"Momma got sick…" she whispered. "Cancer. For six years she was sick… It ate her up. Day after day, it took a little piece of her. Then, when her body couldn't take it anymore, she died."

"When did she die?" I asked in a whisper.

Bella sniffed wetly before she said, "When I was fifteen."

There was an intense burn in my chest. I thought of my mother and how much I loved her. It would have probably killed me had she died when I was that age. I could only imagine how Bella must have felt.

"What happened to your dad?"

She scoffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jacket. "I wish he would have died instead of her."

The voice in my head snapped me to attention with a loud _Bingo!_

Bella's problems stemmed from her father. Had he been the one hitting her? I decided to save that line of questioning for another day. She was already upset enough.

"I'm sorry about your mother," I offered.

"I guess she's part of the reason I came here. I guess I feel a little closer to her here. So… there you go. You now know something no one else knows about me."


	5. Chapter 5

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

The next day, which was Friday, I called the house and Bella picked up. I'd encouraged her, last evening, to go ahead and answer the phone. It was nearly four o'clock and I had something to ask her.

"Edward?" she inquired instead of answering with a 'hello.' I don't think I would ever tire of hearing her say my name.

"Bella! You answered."

"Yeah. You told me to…"

"Right. I did. I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me tonight. You know… um… grocery shopping."

"Oh. Uh, sure. You're running low on some things. Plus, I ate all your bananas."

"Excellent. Then it's a date. Ah…it's a grocery shopping date… trip." _Damn it! I am an idiot!_

"I don't think you're an idiot," she whispered over the line.

_I said that out loud?_ Damn it! _I'm an idiot!_ I lost all lucidity when I was around her.

"Oh, well… I'll be home in just over an hour. Just… Thank you." I abruptly hung up.

Who was I kidding? _I'm a pathetic, aging man who has never done this sort of thing before._ I wasn't even exactly sure what _this_ was. The tragic unattractiveness that befell me in my youth lent to my current predicament. I was, ladies and gentlemen, an all-star nerd. Not that there had been a lot of _improvement_ over the years.

My confidence hadn't been shaken this badly since college. I was a twenty-nine year old man, smitten, and I had no clue how to proceed.

It was pouring down rain as I left the office and drove home. So Bella wouldn't be playing on the beach when I got back to the house today. Which was a shame… I really enjoyed watching her play like that.

As I entered the house from the garage, I heard music. Thinking that Bella was either watching TV or had figured out the stereo, I sat my briefcase down just inside my home office and walked into the great room.

The music I heard wasn't coming from the stereo or the TV. It was coming from the piano. Bella was sitting at my grand piano – which I'd bought years ago hoping that I'd one day learn to play – and she was furiously pounding out a song.

The notes she hit were brash and harsh, deep and sad. It sounded like a popular song converted to an instrumental piano piece. Did she play by ear? I was floored; I was beyond impressed. I'd wanted to do that for so long – I'd just never had the time to learn.

I was drawn further into the room. The raised cover on the piano hindered her from seeing me. The closer I got, I found that she was playing with her eyes closed.

She was… so beautiful. There was such emotion showing on her face as her hands moved fluidly across the keys. It was the first time I'd seen real confidence in Bella.

Her music stopped, leaving my heart hanging on that next note that would never come. Our eyes met, and she slammed the lid over the keyboard when she recognized that I was standing near the end of the piano. She was breathless, and she began flexing her hands and rubbing her fingertips together.

"Sorry…" she muttered, looking away from me. She seemed embarrassed at having been caught; I could tell by the way she blushed and avoided eye contact.

"I don't want you to apologize. You're really talented…" I smiled as I said this. "I would prefer it if you played more often… and when I am here to listen."

Bella rose from the bench and lowered the cover back into place on the piano.

"Are you going shopping dressed like that?" she asked, clearly avoiding my comments.

"Ah, no. I was going to change into something a little less formal. Jeans and a T-shirt."

"You own a pair of jeans?" she gasped. "And T-shirts?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Are you making fun of me, Bella?"

"Nope, I've just always seen you in a suit. You're the only person I know who wears dress pants out on the beach."

"Huh. Well… I… I can dress down when I want to. I'll be right back." I took off for my room and rifled around in my closet for my favorite jeans and a comfortable black shirt. I liked being casual just as well as the next man. I even traded my glasses for the contact lenses I occasionally wore. Lastly, I put on a pair of worn sneakers to keep my feet dry out in the rain.

Bella was on the couch, flipping through a book when I came out of my bedroom. She looked up at me and went completely still. She actually stared with her mouth hanging open. Then she looked past me as if she expected someone else to walk out of the bedroom.

"Who are you and what have you done with Edward?" she asked in a serious manner.

"I, uh, knocked him out and stuffed him in his closet… with all his other suits," I told her with a nervous smile.

She giggled at my joke. "Hey! I liked _that_ Edward." She stood and walked up to me. The closer she got, the more my heart began to pound.

It was thumping double-time as she came to stand in front of me.

"Well, look at you…" she whispered. Her eyes danced all around my face, studying me carefully. I could scarcely breathe when she was this close and conscious.

"I never noticed before… you have such beautiful eyes." Huh? _She thinks I have beautiful eyes._ I'd never heard a compliment so nice before.

"Thanks," was all I could mumble as I gazed at her, captivated by her eyes.

Then the phone rang.

Bella jumped and immediately turned her back to me, jamming her hands into her pockets as she stalked off to the kitchen. Tru was hot on her heels.

I had the breathless, worn-out feeling of having just run a mile… or a marathon. My lungs shuddered as they refilled and expanded. The shrill ringing of the house phone had never sounded so annoying and bothersome.

It was my brother Jasper. He was coming to visit for the weekend.

"So... what kind of car is this? It looks really... expensive."

Bella was buckled into the passenger's side of my car with her arms folded over her chest and her feet precisely placed, side by side, on the floor mat. She acted like she was afraid to touch anything.

"Well, it's an Audi... TT Coupe. It's just a car, Bella. You don't have to be afraid of it." She nodded, but didn't relax her arms from the death clutch across her chest.

"It's really nice."

"Are you a car buff, Bella?"

She laughed heartily. "No way. I see car commercials just like the next person, you know? I mean, a blind man could tell this is a nice car, just by the way it smells."

"By the way it smells? That's how you determine a vehicle's value? _By the way it smells?_" I was teasing her with my mock outrage.

She scoffed. "I'm just saying..."

"I know what you're saying. You're saying that you can smell its expensiveness."

Bella laughed and shoved my shoulder. I just smiled, smug that I was able to get her to loosen up.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" I asked when our giggles subsided.

A glance in her direction showed me that she was deep in thought. Her lips were scrunched to one side and her eyebrows were raised extremely high on her forehead. Her eyes held a sparkly light that made them dance.

"I could really go for a burger... and a Dairy Queen Butterfinger Blizzard."

"A burger and a Blizzard. Okay. We're really eating healthy tonight. One heart attack coming right up."

"Oh, come on. It's not all that bad. Are you a health nut?"

"No. I'm not a nut."

"Well, that sure is a relief. Now, can we please go to Dairy Queen?" She looked over at me with those big brown eyes, all rounded and soft.

I may or may not have jerked the wheel to get the car back on the road. "Uh... sure. Since you asked so nicely."

The fast food dive was only a few miles from my house. It was obvious to me that this was a place she had frequented while living out of her truck. When Bella was ordering, she surprised me by asking if I'd like to share her ice cream with her.

"...And a medium Butterfinger Blizzard. With two spoons," she announced to the girl taking her order.

I think I ordered a burger as well. Nothing really registered in my brain after Bella offered to share dessert with me.

We sat down with our food and Bella kept distracting me with the noises of pleasure she was making. She wasn't loud and probably did it unconsciously, but every few bites, she would let out a tiny moan.

"You know," she began, "sometimes a good burger really hits the spot. Want the rest of my fries? I can't eat them all." She was already reaching for the Blizzard.

I watched her take slow bite after slow bite of the blended ice cream. I didn't miss a slide of her lip over the white plastic spoon. I didn't miss a pink swipe of her darting tongue which cleared away the melting cream. I was quietly going insane.

"Don't you want some?" she asked.

I took the second spoon and dug out a section of the ice cream. The taste of cold vanilla scorched my tongue as I crunched on the waxy chocolate and brittle peanut candy. It was good, but it wasn't half as good as watching Bella eat it.

This wasn't a date. _This is not a date. Stop thinking that this is a date._

But I really wanted it to be a date.

Bella really knew nothing about cooking. The microwave had been her only means of survival since her mother had been gone.

Bella picked out things like cans of Chef Boyardee, Hot Pockets, and fun packs of green Jell-O. I went behind her in the supermarket picking up deli-fresh meats, whole grain bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, just to offset the plethora of junk food she chose.

As we were putting away the nights' haul in the pantry, I dropped the visitor bomb.

"So… My brother, Jasper, he's coming to visit. For the whole weekend. That's who was on the phone before we left the house."

"Oh…" was all she said.

"Yeah. He's the oldest of my brothers. Then Emmett, then me. Jasper's the one that's the drill sergeant for the Army at Fort Bragg. He doesn't get much time off, said he wanted to spend a few days at the beach."

Bella became more and more uncomfortable the more I told her about Jasper. She seemed to draw in on herself.

I hesitated, wondering if this was going to be a bad idea. She was just now starting to feel comfortable around me; she was going to freak out when Jasper got here.

There was a loud slamming at the front door and a jaunty "Honey, I'm home!" greeted us.

Too late to worry now. Jasper was already here.


	6. Chapter 6

My Little Runaway

written by

Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter 6

Tru scrambled into the foyer and started snarling.

"Hey, Ed, call off your watchdog. Why does he always have to do this every time I come through the door? And what the hell is that thing in the driveway? Don't tell me you traded your sweet ride in on _that_."

I rolled my eyes and glanced down at Bella. She'd wound her arms so tight around her waist, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. Jasper thumped around the corner and tossed his rucksack onto the floor. The banging sound of something heavy inside hitting the floorboards made Bella jump. Tru yelped and went scrambling the opposite way. We'd had this argument over Tru many times before, but I was only worried about Bella for the moment. Tru knew how to take care of himself around Jasper. I sighed and prepared myself for my brother's reaction to the girl standing next to me. And I really wished I'd had more time to prepare Bella for meeting Jasper.

Jasper immediately honed in on the new person by my side in the kitchen. He stopped and blinked. He looked at me, then back to Bella, blinked again.

"I… guess that's your vehicle out front, Miss. My apologies."

Bella didn't really acknowledge my brother, she just kept her eyes downcast and rubbed her arms slightly. I turned my attention back to Jasper.

"Little brother," Jasper looked at me with an all-knowing glint in his eye. He kept whipping his sharp gaze between Bella and me. Lord only knew what he must be thinking. I could feel that I was turning red in the face, and I cursed the blood that rushed up my neck.

"Jasper, this is… Bella. Bella, Jasper." I suddenly became aware that I didn't know her last name.

Jasper stuffed his damp camouflage hat into his pocket and went to shake Bella's hand. She timidly let the transaction take place. I could see the hand she'd offered to Jasper trembling.

"Pleasure," Jasper drawled, holding on to Bella's hand for far too long. The cad.

My wonderful brother then swooped around and grabbed me by the neck, messing up my hair by giving me a noogie. I hated when he did that. He really dug in with his knuckles and made it hurt. I shoved him away from me.

"Ed, it's good to see you again. You finally ditched those dweeb glasses. It's about time. Startin' to look like a real man, now." He cackled and I frowned at him, swiping the hair out of my eyes.

"Funny," I deadpanned. "Nice to see you, and so unexpectedly."

He turned back to Bella, his brows were drawn together. "Bella, I believe you look familiar to me. Where have I seen you before?"

"I don't think you've seen me before," she mumbled. I could tell she wanted to be anywhere but the center of Jasper's attention.

"Bella… Bella, yeah, that name rings a bell. I could swear I've seen your face before…" He leaned back and propped his arm against the other to scratch at the pale five o'clock shadow growing along his squared jaw. He was making Bella uncomfortable with his relentless, searching gaze.

"Okay, Jasper, don't bother her. She's my guest." I almost reached out to give Bella a reassuring pat on the arm, but I kept my space. I didn't want to give her an opportunity to shy away from me.

"All right, all right. Well, it's very nice to meet you, anyway, Bella." He smiled at her then, and I didn't like it. It was an entirely too open, appraising look. I'd seen Jasper use that look all through his randy youth. And the women he tended to use it on _liked it_. A lot.

Would Bella fall for his practiced, proven charms?

God, I hoped not.

Plus, at thirty four years of age, Jasper was _way_ too old for her.

Well… damn. For that matter, _I_ was too old for her. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair again. "Bella and I were going to watch a movie, so, join us, or you know where your room is."

I was gratified when I noticed that Bella followed me into the great room away from Jasper and his _I'm-a-randy-bastard_ grin. I let her pick out the movie. Then I sat beside her on the couch.

Jasper plopped down on the La-Z-Boy and propped his combat boots up. He reached into his chest pocket — which had an embroidered patch labeled CULLEN Velcroed to it — and pulled out a half full pack of Camels.

"No. Don't you dare light up in here. You know the rules, Jasper. You visit me, you don't do crap like that in my house," I growled. I was highly protective of my home, and didn't want it subjected to cigarette smoke.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go out on the deck. You got any beer?" He started tapping on the pack of cigarettes.

"What do you think," I muttered as I clicked through the DVD menu.

Jasper snorted. "That's a big, fat negatory. I'll have to get myself down to the gas station. Running low on smokes, too." He put the cigarette, in a ridiculously delicate manner, between his lips and then patted around his chest pockets looking for his lighter.

"You smoke, Bella?" he asked, while the cigarette dangled precariously from his mouth.

She shook her head from behind a wall of her long hair. I noticed that Bella still avoided making eye contact with Jasper.

"That's too bad. I could use some company."

_Use_ being the operative word. I loved my brother, but sometimes he disgusted me with his behavior. I think he liked to smoke around me just to provoke me. And he knew that I didn't drink alcohol.

He eventually found his lighter and Bella and I were able to focus on the movie when Jasper left for the deck outside.

Tru was snuggled up to Bella, half laying over her lap. His sharp canine eyes followed Jasper as he circled the deck, tracking the fiery ebbing glow of the cigarette butt in the dark. Tru shook with anticipation to get at Jasper. I don't know if he wanted to sink his teeth into my brother's ankles when he least suspected it, or chase him away from his territory.

"Tru doesn't seem to like Jasper," Bella whispered to me.

I snorted. "That's because Jasper likes to antagonize him when he visits. So they haven't exactly made friends with each other. But Jasper's cool. He'd never hurt Tru — I just don't think he likes dogs in particular."

A thoughtful "Oh" escaped her lips. Some of the tension seemed to leak out of her and she breathed a little easier. I guessed she was worried for Tru.

"You don't have to worry about Jasper. He's harmless, but he lives to flirt and tease. Probably because he spends the majority of his time ordering new recruits around back on base, but he makes up for it in his down time. He's a good man – a hardass, sometimes – but you don't have anything to fear from Jasper. You're safe here with us."

I knew she needed that reassurance because she'd completely closed herself off since Jasper walked through the door. I wanted her to know that it was safe to trust us – and safe to be herself around us. She didn't have to run anymore.

She scratched behind Tru's ears and looked up at me with a shy smile. "Thanks," she said.

Bella fell asleep before the movie was over. Her head kept drifting downward toward my shoulder until she rested against my arm. It was such a sweetness to feel her next to me, to know that maybe she trusted me enough to find peace beside me. I should have woken her up and sent her upstairs so she could sleep comfortably, but I selfishly let her stay there, curled up next to me, until the end credits rolled.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Jasper asked from behind his combat boots which he'd propped upon my coffee table. Inconsiderate of him. If our mother was present, she'd have smacked him on the back of the head.

He startled me because I'd forgotten he was even there. And when I jerked at the sound of his voice, Bella woke up. Tru jumped off her lap and sniffed around to make sure no intruders had sneaked in while he'd slept.

"Sorry," I mumbled to her. Mostly I was sorry that she had reason to move away from me.

She rubbed her eyes, said a quiet goodnight, and Tru followed her upstairs, faithfully on her heels.

"She's not my girlfriend," I murmured as I watched her go. The fact that I wanted her to be... that was a different story.

Jasper was watching me watch her. Jasper didn't miss anything with his keen eyes. He'd always been more observant than anyone else I knew of. He knew how to exploit weaknesses. He knew how to draw out strengths. He thrived in his job at Fort Bragg.

I got up from the couch, put the DVD back in its case, and took my sweet time finding the right place for it on the shelf. It was pointless to ignore Jasper, or pretend I hadn't heard him.

"You want her," he stated. "You want her bad."

Shit. I really didn't need Jasper to know that. Jasper tended to take knowledge of that sort and torment me with it.

"Goodnight, Jasper." I tried to make a break for my bedroom. I did not want to explore my feelings for Bella with my brother.

"Now wait just a minute. I haven't seen you in months. Come here, sit down, and talk to me." He was all no-nonsense.

I stopped and rolled my neck and shoulders to release the building tension. Might as well get this confrontation over with. Big brother wasn't going to let me go if I didn't comply with his orders.

"Now, are you gonna tell me what's going on here?" He looked exactly like our Dad, Carlisle, all of a sudden. Dad would put on a stern face when us boys had done something bad that Mom wanted him to punish us for. Not that Jasper could punish me. I was a grown man, and I took responsibility for all my actions. Even if I didn't really want to discuss them with Jasper at the moment.

"What do you mean, what's going on?" Playing dumb wasn't going to give me an edge, but it sure beat going into details.

"For one thing, I walk in here and it looks like you're playing house with this chick, which is right damn odd. Secondly, I have never known you to shack up with a female, like, ever, but by the looks of things, I don't think you're fucking her."

My brain almost detonated from pure rage. "Good Lord, Jasper! No. And keep your voice down, she's just up the stairs, and she doesn't need to hear shit like that. She's here because she's got no other place to go. She was living out of her truck in the public access lot down the street. I know she was running out of options. I asked her to stay here with me; I want to keep her safe. I'm not playing house. Don't be an idiot."

Jasper eased back in his seat, watching my every reaction. His boots were still, annoyingly, propped up on my coffee table. He waved his hand around with lazy nonchalance as he spoke. "So you're playing the hero. The hero with ulterior motives. I didn't know you had it in you, Ed."

No. I would never do that to her. I shook my head at what he seemed to be implying. "I would never take advantage of a woman in distress. You know that."

Jasper kept staring me down. "Then what are you doing with a distressed woman in your house?"

"Listen, when I first met this girl, the whole side of her head was black and blue because someone had been whaling on her with their fists. And I'm fairly certain that she's run away from whoever has been abusing her. She said she's from the Fayetteville area, and I can just about guarantee that it was her father that beat on her."

Jasper's boots thumped to the floor as he quickly sat forward.

"Oh, my God." He brought his hand up and snapped his fingers next to his head. "I know who she is." He jumped to his feet and clomped to the tall windows that faced the sand and surf. He stared out into the night as he ran his hands over his buzzed-off military haircut. "Now I remember where I'd seen her face." He turned back to me; there was a strange light was in his eyes.

"Ed, did you know that you're harboring a missing person?"


	7. Chapter 7

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Seven

I was a snorer. All the Cullen brothers inherited the snore gene from our Dad. When we all stayed in the same house together, it sounded like a Stihl chain saw demonstration at a logging site. My snoring was probably what woke me up the next morning. I'd often woken myself just by snoring too loudly.

I heard Tru barking, too. It sounded as though he was right outside, either on the deck or out front on the beach.

I scratched my chest as I stood to my feet and completed my morning routine in the bathroom. I pulled on the same jeans from last night over my boxer shorts and left my white undershirt on. I shoved my glasses over the bridge of my nose and padded, barefoot, to the kitchen. The hardwood floor was chilly on my feet, but I only had one thing on my mind — coffee.

I thanked the good Lord for the automatic timer on the machine. Coffee was already made and piping hot. And someone had beaten me to it. Probably Jasper.

With the first rejuvenating sip coursing down my throat, I was able to focus on the sunny morning beyond the house. And then I groaned at what I saw out on the deck.

Jasper without his shirt on.

That was never something I wanted to see first thing in the morning.

Of course, he was showing off his rippling, sweaty physique to Bella. She was already up and about, and had probably already taken Tru out for a walk.

Damn it. Jasper was probably just a joy for her to look at. Muscles bulged down his arms, his shoulders, his pecs, and kept on going. I didn't look anything like him without my shirt. But I didn't spend all day physically torturing new recruits from sunup to sundown, either.

This didn't bode well for a pleasant weekend. It was already off to a hopping start. I thought of the crumpled missing person poster Jasper had pulled from the cluttered floorboard of his truck the night before. I wasn't upset that Bella had run away from home. I'd suspected it all along. What did upset me was that her father was looking for her, and playing the part of bereaved parent.

If my suspicions about her father were correct, that asshole needed to be put behind bars for what he did to Bella. And I didn't even know all of her story.

I pushed through the door and stepped out into the morning light.

"Jasper, can you please put your shirt on?"

Of course, he ignored me.

I flipped one of the lounge chair mats off because it was still damp from the previous day's rain and sat down on the bare wooden seat.

"Morning, Bella. You're up early." I squinted over at her. She looked so pretty with her hair knotted loosely on top of her head. But then… she always looked pretty to me. Lovely, gentle, a sweetheart.

She gazed at me with a sweet smile. "You look different this morning," she said.

"Different, how?" I yawned.

"You're usually dressed up in a suit this time every day. This is just different."

I gave Bella a grin. "It's Saturday. No suits on Saturdays."

I got distracted by Jasper pulling up the cover on the hot tub. And then he stripped down to his birthday suit.

"Oh, for the love of God, Jasper! I've got neighbors! And don't do that in front of Bella!"

He turned back to us, offering a full frontal of his full Monty. Bella gasped and averted her eyes.

"What," he shrugged. "I went for a run, and now I need a soak in the hot tub. Sue me." He turned his ass to us and splashed down into the tub, jets bubbling around him.

"I am so sorry, Bella. My brother has no couth. Want to get some breakfast? Not that I have an appetite after that…" I offered her a quick out into the kitchen. We could pull the blinds so we wouldn't have to look at Jasper's buff ass again.

And, yes, I was probably a little jealous of my brother's chiseled abs.

"I can't believe he stripped naked in front of you. If Mom knew what he did, he would be in such deep shit."

"It's okay. I didn't see anything," she said.

"Not much to see, really," I grumped.

Bella giggled and it felt good to be able to make her laugh.

I popped some bread into the toaster and pulled out the apple jelly, as per her request, from the fridge. The folded piece of paper that I'd stared at for a good hour, last night, was sitting on the counter by the coffee maker. I picked it up.

"You want coffee?" I asked her.

"Yeah, sure."

I poured her a mug and brought the milk and sugar over to the island where she was propped on a bar stool. She tempered her coffee with more milk than coffee, and added sugar to it. She smiled after the first taste.

I dropped my eyes to the marble counter top and sifted the folded poster between my fingers.

"Jasper… he remembered why you looked so familiar to him last night."

I didn't know if I'd see fear flare in her eyes or what, but what I did see smarted of resignation. She wasn't surprised by my news.

Until I unfolded the poster and slid it across to her.

As soon as her eyes recognized what was on the black and white page, she gasped and snatched the missing person poster from the counter.

She paced as she read and stared. She chewed on her thumbnail as she paced. I knew every word on the poster. I'd studied the old school portrait of Bella from her high school days. She really hadn't changed much. Except for her eyes. Her eyes held so much sadness now. It even offered me the knowledge of her last name. _Swan_. Isabella Swan was her name.

"I'm not going back," she whispered to the paper in her hands. Then her eyes found mine. "I won't go back."

I nodded and leaned against the island. "You don't have to. I'm not going to make you."

She sat back down and balled the poster up, crumpling it into a tiny wad. She slid it as far away from herself as she could. She clutched her coffee mug in her hands and stared blindly down at the counter.

She was still that way after I'd plated her apple jelly toast and set it in front of her. She blinked several times and said, "Thank you, Edward." Her smile was watery as she glanced my way.

_Anything for you_ was on the tip of my tongue, but Jasper barged in before I could say something so… ridiculous.

He walked in with nothing but a smallish towel wrapped around his waist, comfortable in his own skin, like he owned the place. "So what's the plan for the day?" he asked.

"You're dripping on my floors," I calmly pointed out to him. "And why don't you endeavor to put some clothes on — before you put Bella off her toast."

Jasper rolled his eyes at me, but sidled up next to Bella and planted his ass on the stool next to hers — only after he'd pushed the stool closer.

"What's the matter, Ed? We're all adults here. Aren't we, Bella?" Just a little closer, and Jasper would be straddling Bella's seat. He already had that predatory glint in his eye. If Jasper started making his pecs bounce for her, I was going to puke.

Oh, God. He was doing it. His dog tags were jingling against his smooth, sculpted chest.

To my utter surprise, Bella laughed and asked, "How do you do that?"

"Oh, it's easy," he told her. "You've just got to tense and release these muscles here." Jasper took one of her hands and laid it flat against the top of his bulgy man boob. He was more than happy to demonstrate his stupid talent and jumped at the chance to show it off to Bella.

Not that Bella really seemed to mind at the moment. Her hands got real friendly with Jasper's chest.

I turned away, pulling at my hair and rubbing at the dull ache that had sprung up between my eyes.

Jasper was going to ruin _everything_.

…_Wait_. I had to stop my train of thought. What, exactly, was there for him to ruin? I'd begun weaving some grand, happy fantasy in my head involving Bella and me, together.

I scoffed quietly at myself. I was treating Bella like a new toy that I didn't want to share with my brother. She was a human being, my house guest, and I needed to fix my attitude.

There wasn't _anything_ for Jasper to ruin – nothing, other than my crippled self-esteem.

Tru trotted over and looked up at me through his shaggy mane of hair. Even he had changed since Bella had come into our lives. He whimpered and switched his gaze over to Bella. It looked like Tru didn't appreciate Jasper being so close to Bella. And that was something both Tru and I could agree upon.

But if Bella _liked_ Jasper, who was I to stand in her way?

Without looking at either of them, I said, "Guys, I've got some work to do. I'll be in my office." Dejected, I shuffled on to my fortress of solitude and did the only thing I knew to do. I retreated, and buried myself in work.

Several hours later, my stomach was rumbling — protesting that all I'd had for breakfast was coffee. The house was quiet, so I didn't think anyone was home. I made a sandwich and hovered over the bar to eat it. I had a good view of the deck and the ocean beyond it. I didn't have to wait long to see Bella and Jasper walking hand-in-hand up the boardwalk together.

A piece of me died when I saw their hands clasped together. _That should be me_, I thought. But then my thoughts said,_ of course she would like him. _Women were drawn to Jasper and I couldn't compete with that — I never had been on the same level as Jasper. He was attractive to women. I was not.

They caught me in the kitchen before I could retreat again.

"Edward! Jasper said there's an old fort at the end of the island. He's going to take me to see it. Come with us," she said. The hair escaping the knot on top of her head was wild around her face and her eyes showed her excitement. She was smiling; Jasper had put that smile on her face.

Jasper looked at me from behind Bella. He was wearing the nastiest, cheesiest grin — he winked at me.

_I sure wouldn't mind punching that grin right off his smug mouth…_

Now I wanted to punch my brother — something that I'd never considered before in my life. But I wanted to wipe that infuriating smile off his lips.

"I'm driving," I said without even thinking.

"You gonna drive there barefoot?" Jasper asked as he cocked a brow toward my bare toes.

"Give me five minutes."

I firmed up my resolve as I went to change clothes. I had a battle to fight and I had a new tactic: Keep Jasper away from Bella. For the rest of the weekend.


	8. Chapter 8

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Eight

I held the passenger's side door open for Bella, giving Jasper the evil eye. He began snickering from the non-existent back seat of the Audi, but he didn't say a word.

The ten minute drive was filled with my silence and my white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Bella and Jasper, on the other hand, chattered easily between the front and back seat. I wondered what Jasper had done to win Bella's trust so readily. It was like all the pressure was off now that we knew her identity and that she'd run away from home. She felt she didn't have to hide from us – from Jasper.

I opened her door for her again once we reached the parking lot. I had been wound up so tight during the drive across the island, but every errant thought stopped and all the nervous energy in me stilled and instantly calmed when Bella put her hand in mine.

Jasper didn't exist anymore.

It was just her and me and our hands, and the warmth that engulfed them.

Jasper set out, leaving us standing by the car, chuckling as he went.

What was with all his laughter? What was I missing that was so funny to him? The warm fog cleared and I was able to think again.

I reluctantly dropped Bella's hand and pointed to a tree-lined sidewalk going away from the parking lot. "The fort is just through there. It's a pretty neat—"

"Is Jasper laughing at us for some reason?" she interrupted.

"Uh," I turned and watched Jasper disappear around a stand of trees, farther up the walk. "There's no sense in explaining why Jasper does or does not do something. His mind has always worked in mysterious ways," I chuckled. "He's been a puzzle to his own family since birth."

Bella nodded as if it was a perfectly acceptable answer.

We didn't say anything else as we walked to the fort, over the two hundred year old cobblestones and the arched wooden bridge. The bright blue sky was dotted by a few fluffy clouds. The day was bright as the sun glinted off the water in the distance and the sandy dunes and grassy knolls around the fort. The fort was part of a State Park and it was perfectly manicured. It was always a joy to come here and explore.

"You can see where all the cannons used to be," I pointed out the upper level of the pentagon-shaped Fort Macon. Black iron bases were positioned over the fort walls where cannons once sat in the Civil War era.

"Want to look around up top, or down below?" I asked her.

"Down below," she said with a smile glittering in her eyes.

"Careful on the stairs," I called to her as she barreled down the steep brick and stone stairwell. She was already deep into the dark catacombs of the fort by the time I got to the last narrow step. The spaces beneath the fort were once powder stores, maybe even barracks or prison cells. The fort had seen action in numerous wars throughout America's history, until it became the first recreational state park in North Carolina.

I could hear her giggles bouncing off the arched, brick ceilings. They came back to me as an eerie echo. It was a place I wouldn't want to come to alone. It was creepy below the fort.

"Bella?" I called out, my own voice skewed in the odd space.

Another fit of giggles was the only answer I got. Was she playing a game? Should I play along with her? This was different. Her behavior was taking me by surprise. I couldn't help but wonder if, despite the abusive situation she came from, her life had been somewhat sheltered.

Archways leading up to the dry moat left fleeting shafts of light in almost every chamber of the lower level, but the light didn't reach every corner of the crypt-like space. There were lots of places to hide.

I swallowed hard, not really knowing what I should do in this situation. She had gone quiet.

"Um… Marco?" I croaked.

More giggling. A ghostly "Polo" sounded like it came from a few chambers farther in. I followed it, my heart pounding away in excitement.

I called out several more times, enjoying myself and the chase. I finally caught up to Bella in a chamber that had no doors and no windows. I jumped from behind the archway and yelled, "Got you!"

Bella squealed as I approached her. She darted around me and up a set of short steps into the blinding sunlight. I grabbed hold around her waist and she screamed as I whirled her in a circle off her feet. We were both laughing when I set her down again. Bella was finally starting to spread her wings.

"Would you two quit horsin' around? This place was built for war, not… horsing around," Jasper admonished us in his drill sergeant voice. He came from out of nowhere. Leave it to Jasper to be all business around an old, forgotten Army outpost.

"Sorry," both Bella and I said at the same time.

As Jasper wandered off on his own again, shaking his head, I couldn't stop the laugh that was bubbling up my throat.

"That was… interesting… in there," I said, a large smile pulling at my lips.

Bella looked up and me and blushed, but she was smiling, too. "Sorry… It seemed like a fun idea at the time." She shrugged.

"It was," I quickly reassured her with another smile. "It was fun. Plus it pissed off Jasper. Always an added bonus."

We continued to explore, looking through the historical displays and educational talks. When we got to the top, where all the cannons used to point out over the ocean, I got up enough nerve to ask her a few questions.

"Hey, Bella? I was wondering…" She was in the middle of taking her hair down. The wind was in her favor as it blew her hair out behind her. She collected it into a ponytail.

"What were you wondering?" she asked as she stretched her neck, offering her face up to the warm sun.

I couldn't look at her as I asked, "How come you were… holding Jasper's hand?"

She didn't answer right away, and I didn't look at her. Her intake a breath was quick. She said, "I wasn't holding Jasper's hand. He was holding mine. I didn't want to hold his hand."

I turned to her then with raised eyebrows.

"I tripped. While we were walking back up to the deck, I tripped. He grabbed my hand to keep me from falling. And he didn't let go again." She hastily returned her eyes back to the view surrounding the fort's walls.

"Oh. Of course he did. I feel stupid for asking." Why did I have to open my big mouth? She probably thought I was a clingy moron.

"No, it's fine. Don't feel stupid. I don't ever want you to feel that way. I've spent most of my life feeling that way. You shouldn't. You're smart and successful and you have absolutely no reason to feel stupid." Bella was so sincere and stern.

I shook my head, hating the fact that Bella had ever felt like less than she was. "Whether I'm smart or successful has nothing to do with this. Nothing that has happened in my life has prepared me to deal with the way I feel around you."

We just stared at each other for long moments after my confession. My chest burned with other things that I wanted to say, but none of them needed to be voiced.

"What do you feel?" she whispered with such open curiosity.

I blew out a breath. "Uh... All mixed up. Out of place."

Bella slowly nodded. "I feel that way a lot."

I frowned, because I was pretty sure she didn't understand. But I wasn't going to enlighten her today.

Shrugging, I moved to a different topic. "I guess I was kind of surprised that you seem so comfortable around Jasper. I can only hope he's been nice to you."

She folded her arms over her chest and dropped her eyes. "He has. You've both treated me with respect and kindness. And I have decided that I don't want to be someone who can't make friends. I don't want to be afraid all the time. I want to be normal. This is the first chance I've had to try." She smiled at me. "I think you're one of the nicest people I've met in a long time."

"What does that mean? You've interacted with people. Surely."

Bella shook her head. "Not really," was all she said.

"Hey, Ed. Are y'all done here?" Jasper asked as he walked up behind us. I wanted to curse at him for interrupting us.

"Don't call him Ed, Jasper. He doesn't like it," Bella said. Her eyes never left mine.

Her words took me aback, surprising me more than anything else she could have said. How could she know that? I turned in time to see Jasper rear back and tilt his head as he eyeballed Bella with a measuring look.

"Ed doesn't like to be called... Ed?" Jasper's eyes met mine. "Is that true?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I frowned and reset my glasses on my nose. "I actually hate being called Ed."

"Well... Okay, then." Jasper shrugged his wide, heavy shoulders and nodded before he tromped back down the stairs to the fort's exit. And that was that.

I laughed to myself, thinking this was all very odd. Bella stood up for me against my brother? Did she think I needed to be stood up for? I laughed again on the way out to the car. Sure, Jasper was brash and loud and an obnoxious ass most of the time, but he'd had to clamor for Mom's and Dad's attention after Emmett and I were born. It was just the way he was – with everyone.

"Let's grill out tonight," Jasper spoke from his cramped spot in the back seat. It made me want to laugh every time I looked back in the rear view mirror and saw his kneecaps nearly hitting his chin. "I'll spring for steaks," he said.

"Um, okay," I readily agreed. "You doing the grilling?"

"Ya damn skippy. I know how to get my sizzle on." His tone was colored with sullen belligerence. Bella snickered beside me.

For the second time in as many days, we made another trip to the grocery store, though this was just a quick stop for red meat. I pocketed my keys and we all piled out of the car. I trailed behind Bella, and Jasper headed toward the butcher.

I got distracted by a headline on the magazine rack and wasn't watching where I was going. I accidentally stepped on the back of Bella's heel. I tripped. Bella tripped. I grabbed her shoulders and steadied us both before we fell to the glossy, waxed floor.

Bella stiffened when my hands touched her, but she quickly relaxed. I softly squeezed her arms before reluctantly letting her go. Recovered, she looked back at me like I'd lost my mind. "Walk much? There's only enough room in my shoes for my own feet. Just so you know." There was a teasing light in her eye. I was coming to find that Bella had a very playful nature.

I laughed. "Sorry. That was... I don't know. My coordination comes and goes."

Bella swung around me and started following closely behind. I grinned and cut her a sly look. "I know what you're thinking," I said to her.

"Yeah. What goes around comes around, clumsy."

I took off at a sprint down the aisle. "You'll have to catch me first."

I snickered as Bella tried to catch up with me and step on the back of my shoes. I was too quick; my long-legged strides ate up more ground than hers.

My long-legged strides also brought me crashing up against Jasper's back. Wrapped meat went flying out of his arms and into the floor.

"What the fuck!" Jasper shouted. He whipped around so fast, I was sure I was about to get a fist shoved in my face. Or get body slammed.

Jasper growled when he recognized it was me. "Are you out of your damn mind, Edward? What's the matter with you?"

I shook my head and tried to hide my smile. Bella turned away from us, laughing. I bent to pick up everything he'd dropped. I was glad that there wasn't a bloody spot left on the floor.

"You two were horsin' around again, weren't you. I'll be damned..." Jasper trailed off. I heard him mumbling as I followed him to the checkout line. "I ain't never seen a grown man act like such a damn fool. Boy's got pussy on the brain. Or farts in his head..."

I nearly choked when I caught what he was saying. I looked back at Bella, hoping she hadn't heard. She was checking out the same magazine rack I'd looked at earlier. Thank God.

"Shut up, Jasper," I whispered fiercely. "I can hear you."

Jasper chuckled darkly. "Where's your head at, Edward? It's normally on the level. Balls to the wall." He glanced back at me. "But not today."

"Lay off," I whispered low. "We were just kidding around."

Jasper hit me with a sardonic look. "I hear ya, Bro. I hear ya. Wooing, more like."


	9. Chapter 9

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Nine

As soon as we got back to the house, Jasper set to marinating the steaks. Bella said she was taking Tru out for his evening walk.

"May I join you?" I asked her.

She smiled and nodded. Her hands worked fast as she clipped on Tru's leash. I held the door open for her, again, because Mom was right: A gentleman should always hold the door open for a lady.

I stayed quiet for a good ways as I walked by Bella's side. I know I was feeling slightly awkward after our weird afternoon, and after I'd basically told her that I had feelings for her. I was dying to know if she was feeling anything at all for me, but, then again, maybe it was better if I didn't know. Rejection, coming from Bella, would really hurt. And it was surely too soon in our acquaintance for talk of feelings. I knew I'd handled things like a clueless boy.

"It's been such a nice day," Bella said as she breathed in deeply.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I haven't had a day like this in a long time." No thoughts of the upcoming case I was working on, no worries of tomorrow – just the warm sun on my face, a cool breeze at my back, and a pretty girl by my side.

"You work too hard."

I did? "I do?" I had to work hard, simply because a house and a car didn't pay for themselves – and criminals needed to be kept off the streets. There was plenty for me to do, and not enough daylight to get it done. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Not that I've been around for very long, but you seem very dedicated to your work. You spent half the morning, a _Saturday_ morning, in your office. You obviously never go out just to get a greasy hamburger. You only have healthy food in your kitchen. All the books on your shelves are law books. Your house and your car are spotless... What do you do for fun, Edward? When do you ever just have fun?"

"I... um... I don't... know," I admitted after moments of silent jaw-flapping.

"I mean, you had fun with me at the fort today, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

"It's okay," she said softly. "It's been a long time since I've had any fun, either. And I guess I'm a little sad that this day has to end."

"Bella... we can have more days like this. I would love to have more days like this."

We were quiet for a little while, eventually turning around to head back home. I felt Bella's eyes on me when she finally said, "I'd like more days like this, too."

I felt myself smile, hoping that she'd want more days like this – with me.

"May I ask another question?" I sensed her hesitation. She was probably remembering the dumb question I asked at the fort. Or maybe she didn't want me probing for answers she wasn't ready to give.

"Sure..." she said. She stopped and dug her toes into the sand, giving me her full attention.

"How did you know that I didn't like to be called Ed?"

She let out a relieved breath and gave me a little smile. "Because you always get a crease," she pointed to the space between my eyebrows, "right here." She touched her fingertip to the skin there, making me shiver.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. This girl could bring me to my knees with just the slightest innocent touch. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to kiss her.

I shook myself. I shouldn't go there. "Because I drew my eyebrows together?"

"Yeah. I could tell you weren't happy every time Jasper called you Ed."

"You were paying attention," I told her with a smile.

"Can I ask you a question, now?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Anything."

"Why did you become a lawyer?"

I peered out over the horizon as I thought about what I wanted to say. "A few reasons, I think. For one, when I was in high school, I'd thought I would follow in my father's footsteps and become a doctor. He's always been my role model. Turns out, though, that I'm terribly squeamish around the medical environment. Dad took me with him to work one day. There were too many needles; there was way too much blood, and too many bad smells. So, I knew right then that I wasn't going to be a doctor.

"The reason I was drawn to the field of law... well, it's kind of personal. I... love the idea of justice." I didn't want to tell Bella that it was the injustices I'd suffered at the hands of bullies in my youth that were what steered me to criminal law. I didn't hold a grudge, but I wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of me ever again. And I held to that same ideal when working with clients that needed defending against the bullies of the world.

"I found my niche as a prosecutor. With the law on my side, I feel like a warrior in the courtroom."

Bella smiled. "To feel so strongly about something like that... I'm glad you have that. And a warrior in the courtroom is much less bloody than a doctor in a hospital."

I laughed. "Only literally speaking."

The end of our walk was met with the smell of steaks cooking on the grill. Jasper had also put on one of our mom's aprons that she'd left hanging in the pantry – the frilly, pink kind.

"What," he snapped when he caught me looking at him funny. "I don't want to get grease on my duds."

This time, both Bella and I cracked up laughing. I fell to a lounge chair on the deck wiping tears from my eyes. Tru danced around us, barking at our uproar.

"Go ahead. Yuck it up. I just might not share any of these steaks with y'all." Jasper slapped his spatula against the top of the grill lid. Tru didn't like the sound and growled as he approached Jasper. He tossed Tru a chunk of raw meat. Tru liked that, choosing to hang around Jasper's boots in case he'd care to offer any more free treats.

Jasper kept us entertained throughout dinner with his antics. He also took his pleasure in embarrassing me in front of Bella with horrid old stories from our childhood. As if looking like a nerd at the age of twenty-nine wasn't enough, Jasper had to go and rub it in, just a little harder.

"Okay, okay. That's enough fun at my expense..." I gathered a few dishes and started cleaning up.

"Ah, come on, Ed – ward. All that was in the past. Don't get your panties in a wad."

"My panties are completely un-wadded, thank you very much," I told Jasper. Everything he said was true, so there was no point denying it. There was nothing that could be done about the sad kid that, tragically, was still living inside me, either.

Bella followed me to the sink with her own dishes in her hands. She offered me a small smile of compassion. I didn't have it in me to smile back at the moment.

"You shouldn't take what Jasper says to heart. He loves you. Everyone has undesirable things that happened in their past..."

Anger from old hurts welled up from deep inside me. I clutched the counter, knuckles white. "Yeah, well, you've probably been beautiful all your life, so how can you possibly understand the shit that I've been through?" Oh, God. The words flew out of my mouth before I could put a stop to them. I turned in horror, only to see Bella's eyes glitter with a dangerous light.

Her eyelids trembled when she blinked and her face hardened with riotous emotion. Her voice was high with frustration and her own anger when she said, "You're right. This face has just gotten me everything I've ever wanted in life!" Her voice range through the rafters of the house. After a few seconds, she slapped her hand over her mouth and hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs, and left me standing with my mouth gaping open.

At that very moment, I felt no bigger than a single grain of sand tossed aimlessly on the vast Atlantic. What a stupid, horrible thing to say to Bella. I remembered her face the first time I saw her – black and blue. I closed my burning eyes. I had caused her pain. "Bella! Wait!"

"What's going on?" Jasper's eagle-eyed glare switched between me and the stairs where Bella had run to.

I threaded my fingers in my hair and pulled. Hard. What would possess me to say something like that to Bella?

I climbed the stairs four at a time and gently knocked on her door. With my forehead. "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." I banged my head on the door several times. "I'm an ass, Bella. I'm not perfect, and sometimes I say stupid things. I never meant to hurt you."

I sighed and took my glasses off, letting them dangle from my fingers. "Remember what I said today, about not being prepared around you? It feels truer now than when I first said it. I hated the way I felt when Jasper was telling those stories about me. I hate that you heard them. I hate what I said to you. That's the worst part. I'm so sorry."

I waited for what felt like hours, but could only have been minutes. Bella cracked the door open and I stared at her blurry frame, just memorizing her hazy outline.

"I can't promise you that I'll never say something stupid again, but I can promise that I never want to hurt you."

I saw her nod and glance down at her feet. After a while of saying nothing, Bella spoke quietly. "My Momma used to tell me I was pretty."

I put my glasses back on – stared at her. "Oh, Bella... You _are_. So pretty."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Doesn't really matter what someone looks like. It's what's on the inside that counts. She used to tell me that, too.

"Dad never apologized after he... he just doesn't apologize at all. I never did like what I saw inside him. There wasn't anything pretty or beautiful or handsome about my Dad. He was all fists and fury. There's nothing pretty about that. Not to me." She sighed and hung her head.

"Edward... I would never have accepted anything from you had I not seen the good in you. I could tell you were a good man. I watched you out on the beach, especially with Tru. Dad would just as soon kick a dog if he saw one. And you treated Tru well. So that day you found me and asked me to come to your house, I figured if you could be so nice to a dog, maybe you'd be nice to me, too."

I shook my head at her reasoning. "Bella, it tore me up inside to see those bruises on you – to see you so hurt and scared. I... I want to take care of you. I want to make things right for you." I slowly reached out and gently touched the side of her face, remembering the too-dark marks that had marred her cheek. They were fading away now.

"I want to show you something," I said, and I took her hand. "Come with me downstairs."

I sat her down on the couch and went to pull a large binder from the shelf beside the fireplace. Jasper came in from smoking a cigarette on the deck.

"You might as well come and see this too, Jasper."

"What," he said.

I held up the album for him to see. "Oh, crap. I know what that is. Mom made one of those for me." His tone was heavy with embarrassment.

I sat beside Bella and put the album in her lap. "My life," I told her. "I want you to understand where I was coming from when I said the things I said."

Bella slowly flipped through the first pages of my childhood: snapshots of a little auburn-haired boy with magnified green eyes, peeping at her from behind thick glasses. She saw a bespectacled teen, braces, greasy hair, and zits – every unflattering one of them. Even all the way through college, I was an unfortunate-looking male.

Jasper made comments all throughout the album, but Bella was quiet as she took in everything. There were lots of pictures of me with Jasper and Emmett. The difference between us all was vast. The one quality I had that was similar to my brothers was my height. I was just a little taller than Jasper.

Eventually, when the last page of photos had been flipped over, Bella said, "Edward, you're so handsome."

"...Huh?" That wasn't what I was expecting her to say at all. I expected pity, revulsion... maybe even laughter.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," she said. "We all have undesirable things about our pasts, but look at you now."

She'd already told me, today, that I was smart and successful. Now she was telling me that I was handsome?

"I think you're giving him the big head, Bella," Jasper laughed.

"Really?" I asked her, unbelieving.

"Well, geez, Edward. What, are you fishing for compliments now?" Jasper lightly popped me on the back of the head.

"No... I just... It's surprising to hear, is all."

"Well, shit! Why is this such a surprise to you? You're a Cullen, damn it. Of course you're handsome. They don't come any handsomer than Cullen men," Jasper said with pride.

I just laughed – a confused laugh – like this was a joke I really didn't get.

"Damn. The boy doesn't even know he's handsome. Can you believe that, Bella? Sure... he may have been a late bloomer, but good grief! You're not that kid, anymore, Ed. Er... Edward," he corrected. "I can't believe you've been hung up on this all your life." Jasper shook his head.

"I've tried not to be," I told them weakly. But I had been. Detrimentally.

"Well... Don't be," Jasper said with finality.


	10. Chapter 10

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Ten

"I can't figure out why you thought you needed one of these things," Jasper griped early the next morning. "It's not like you can play, and it just takes up valuable space – in my opinion. A pool table could go here."

"It's not like I play pool, either, Jasper."

"Well, yeah, but then I'd have something else to entertain me when I come to visit. What am I supposed to do with a piano?" Jasper shook his open hands at my grand instrument like it was offensive for him to look at.

Admittedly, the piano had become more of a decorative piece since I couldn't put it to use. But I still held onto it; I still had aspirations of learning.

And lately, I was hoping for more private concerts from Bella.

I figured Jasper didn't need to know that.

"You're thinking about her, again, aren't you," Jasper said.

"Hmm?" I looked away from the upstairs balcony and refocused on the Sunday paper, which sat – unread – in my lap.

"I have been watching you two all weekend. You should see yourself when I'm close to Bella. You get so huffy!" Jasper cackled before taking a sip of coffee from his mug. "Jealous, brother?"

I glared at Jasper over the rim of my glasses before resetting them on the bridge of my nose. I cleared my throat and snapped the newspaper up in front of my face, just so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"You've been laughing at us all weekend," I grumbled.

"Edward, can't you see the irony here? You like this girl. For the first time in memory, you actually have the hots for someone! The whole family has wondered if you were allergic to women, you know?" Jasper paused, and then shouted, "Oh, my God… I can't wait to tell Mom!"

I crumpled my paper in half so I could glare over it. "Don't you dare," I growled.

"Why not? She'll think this is good news."

"Well, I don't want to tell her yet, Jasper. So don't you say a word to her. To anyone."

"All right, all right," he raised his hand and coffee mug up in surrender. "My lips are sealed."

"They'd better be…" I went back to reading the paper.

"You know…" Jasper hedged. "If you're not gonna ask her out, maybe I should."

I smashed the paper in my lap with a loud crack. "_What?_"

"You don't seem like you're in a hurry to take her off the market, so to speak. I think she likes me. I like her... What do you think?"

I calmly rolled up my paper, walked up to Jasper, and swatted him on the head with it.

"Did you really just hit me with a newspaper, brother?"

"It's a lot nicer than what I wanted to do to you, _brother_."

"What's the matter, Edward? Don't like thinking about Bella… and me… together?"

He was deliberately baiting me. I knew it, but it still pissed me off. I felt my jaw ticking and my eyelid twitching at the same time. "Are you saying this because you really like her, or are you just trying to make me angry?"

"Now, why would me dating Bella make you angry?"

"Come on, Jasper, you know why."

"Well… maybe I just want to hear you say it." Jasper grinned, showing off a mouth full of straight white teeth. His eyes gleamed with mischief. "I wanna hear you say it, Ed."

"Why?"

"Because it's time for you to 'fess up. For the first time in your life, you need to admit this to yourself. You need to admit that you are falling in love with this girl. Do it."

I planted one hand on my hip and the other in my hair. "Why is this so important to you? If it happens, it happens, but in the meantime, I'm not going to admit to something that could… I don't know… backfire."

"But, do you like her? Do you like Bella?"

"Of course I like Bella! I like everything about her. But I can't… I don't know if she likes me, in that way… I don't want to put her into a position she doesn't want to be in."

"Maybe we just ought to ask her…"

"Oh, God, no!" I moved in front of Jasper, blocking his way to the great room, to the stairs. "Please… leave it be, Jasper."

"No… no. I think I would say, 'Bella, are you falling madly in love with one, Edward Cullen, who has most definitely fallen for you?' Yeah. That's what I'd ask." Jasper's eyes shifted over my shoulder and refocused on something behind me. His smile only grew.

"If y'all will excuse me, I think I'll go for my morning run." Jasper trotted off, extremely pleased with himself.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I tried to relax my shoulders, but I knew she would be waiting for me to turn around… waiting for me to say something.

I spun and opened my mouth. But no one was there.

My eyes searched the great room, glanced to the bottom of the stairs. Bella hadn't been behind me. Jasper had made me think she was behind me.

I sighed in relief, but was I really relieved? Wouldn't it be better if Bella knew what I had on my heart? I broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.

I decided that she didn't have to know yet. I was sure she already had her suspicions. I'd given her enough evidence.

I hadn't exactly been subtle about my... infatuation with her. No. Infatuation was a strong word. Interest. Yes, I was interested in Bella. But I certainly didn't want to crowd her. And I was sure she wasn't looking for any type of relationship. She was on the run from her past, for goodness' sake.

The tension didn't leave my shoulders as I paced and wrung my hands through my hair. I didn't think this feeling of paranoia was going to leave, thanks to Jasper. I rolled my shoulders and my neck, only stopping when my eyes spotted the hot tub, the perfect remedy.

I changed into a pair of swim trunks in my bedroom, grabbed a towel, and left through that side door. My bedroom had direct access to the hot tub. The temperature was hot enough to turn all my stubborn muscles into mush. I leaned back and relaxed my head against the rest and closed my eyes.

I didn't know how long I was there, or how long I was completely out of it. What brought me to consciousness was someone shaking my shoulder. I jolted up and scanned the deck, but I couldn't see anything. My glasses had fogged up from the hot water.

"Sorry. You were asleep," Bella said.

I wiped at the lenses, finally getting a watery picture of her. "Oh, thanks. How long have I been out?"

"Um... I'm not sure. I wasn't... I wasn't watching, or anything." Bella cleared her throat and busied herself with Tru.

I reached for my towel and stood. The air was much cooler than the water, but it felt good because I was definitely overheated. "No... I'm glad you woke me up. You're only supposed to stay in one of these things for so long, you know."

"No problem." She didn't look up at me.

"What time is it?" I asked. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Um... It's about nine. And I'm not... very hungry." She started for the boardwalk out to the beach.

"Wait, give me a few minutes and I'll walk with you."

"No! No... that's okay. I'm just... I need... I'll be back later. You... go make yourself something to eat." She rushed away, pulling Tru along with her.

"But..." I trailed off. She was already gone and didn't hear me.

She didn't _want_ me to walk with her. She wouldn't even look at me, either. I rubbed my chest because it was beginning to hurt. I glanced down and noticed that the spot I was rubbing was directly over my heart.

I dropped my hand and finished drying off before going to my bedroom to change. I supposed I could concentrate on work, since I was due in court the next Tuesday morning. Anything to take my mind off the hurt I was feeling.

After a while, Jasper poked his head into my office.

"So what did Bella say?" His eyebrows bounced up and down on his forehead.

"She went for a walk."

"Oh." The eyebrows stopped mid-rise. "Well, what did she say after I left this morning?"

"Yeah. Nice fucking joke to play on your brother."

His eyebrows dropped. "Okay... I'll admit, it was devious... But what did she say?"

I turned back to my papers. "What do you mean?"

"I left you two alone so you could... talk... or whatever." His voice rose in an exasperated pitch.

I took my glasses off and rubbed my eyes. "Like I said... nice joke."

"I'm... not getting what you thought the joke was."

"You made me think Bella was standing behind me when we had our conversation this morning. She wasn't. Thanks for the heart attack."

"Dude. She was. Why do you think I so tactfully asked what I asked, and left when I left?"

I paused. Put my glasses on. Stared at Jasper.

"She was really there?" I whispered.

He nodded.

"For how long? What did she hear?"

"I don't know... Enough? All of it?"

All the breath I had left me. Bella heard everything. _Everything?_ Bella heard everything, and she didn't have anything to say to me this morning. She didn't even want to walk with me. She couldn't even look at me.

Bella didn't want me.

I rubbed that spot at my heart again.

I turned away from Jasper and my eyes found the clock on the wall. It was already past noon. _Had so much time passed me by, already?_

"Is Bella back?" I asked.

"I haven't seen her. Haven't seen your dog, either."

"She should have been back already. I think she may have been upset when she left... but that was over three hours ago." I began to feel uneasy.

"You are so whipped, little brother."

"Shut it." I gave him a mean glare. "I'm worried. She should have been back by now."

Jasper threw up his hands in apology. "Okay, okay. So... what do you want to do?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm going to look for her."


	11. Chapter 11

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Eleven

We checked Bella's room, just in case, but she wasn't there. Jasper followed me down the weathered deck and onto the sand. I turned right on the beach, south, because that's the direction we usually walked. I was reminded of that day, not long ago, when I'd frantically searched the beach and every face on it to find the unforgettable girl with the horrible bruises.

The same sense of urgency sent me into a mild panic to find her today. Now that I knew she'd overhead Jasper's conversation with me, I figured that was what had her acting so weird before she left. No wonder she wanted to get away from the house. Even so, I didn't think she would have stayed gone this long.

When we neared the public beach access, what I saw nearly stopped my heart. Tru was barking and circling a group of four men. The beach around them was deserted. Bella was at the center of the group. An older man had his hands locked around her upper arms, shaking her. I could clearly see the terror in her expression. They were dragging Bella toward the public access stairs leading off the beach.

I immediately sprung into action, and I heard Jasper, his feet pounding right beside me. Sand kicked up behind us as we flew over the beach.

Bella was crying. I went into a frenzy, but I had the presence of mind to yell, "Let her go!" I didn't even recognize my own voice. The sounds that came out of me were wild, feral – snarling.

The man who held Bella startled and looked up, dropping her behind him. She fell to the ground. I shouldered my way between the men and rushed to pick her up. A fist crashed into my face. I went down like a rock, falling backward to the sand. I shook myself, seeing stars, but I jumped up again, stepping out of punching range as I held on to my nose. I checked to see if it was bleeding; it wasn't. But my glasses were cracked.

I was furious, but Bella was more important that my pain. "Who do you think you are? You have no right to touch her like that!"

The man who'd punched me, probably in his late forties, early fifties, with graying black hair, stared at me with brown eyes that were filled with evil hate. His dark mustache twitched before he bellowed, "I'm her God damned father!"

It took less than second to hone in on the word 'father.' Bella was shaking so hard where she sat in the sand, but I turned my focus to the man who'd had his hands on her.

My eyes narrowed as I spoke to the man and stepped around him. "You do not come near Bella again. If you do, you'll have a lawsuit slapped on you so quickly, you'll rue the day you stepped foot on my beach." I bent to pick her up.

"And just who the fuck are you?" Bella's father growled.

Bella tensed in my arms at the sound of the man's voice – her father's voice. She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me for dear life, still shaking.

"I'm her lawyer."

I spun and left the group of men. I wrapped my arms even tighter around Bella's shaking body. "It's all right now," I whispered into her hair. "You're safe now." I sighed, relieved to have her in my arms. But I was worried that those men may have hurt her.

Jasper stayed close, but every few steps, he'd walk backwards – watchful and intent – just to make sure we weren't being followed.

Tru kept up with us, too. He didn't even need the leash that was trailing behind him in the sand. His eyes were trained on Bella.

Bella was still shivering when we got back to the house. I took her up to her room, thinking that she might like to curl up under the covers and sleep.

"Here, Bella, you're safe in your room, now. What do you need me to do? I'll do anything you need."

I sat her on the edge of the bed, but she wouldn't let go of my neck. I knelt on the floor beside the bed, still holding onto her.

"Don't let go," she whispered. "Please... don't let go."

"Okay... I can do that." I awkwardly slid her over and lay next to her on the bed. Her head rested just under my chin and she sniffled wetly into my T-shirt. I didn't mind in the least. Tru jumped up with us and curled into a ball behind Bella's knees. He was shaking about as hard as Bella was.

I took my glasses off and put them on the nightstand. They were uncomfortable smashed into the side of my head and pressing against my sore nose. But Bella there, so close beside me, felt so right.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" I asked her.

She nodded with a quiet, "Yes," but said nothing else.

She'd been through a trauma, and I didn't mind waiting patiently until she was ready to talk. I already knew that I would do anything for Bella. I was a goner from the first instant I spotted her on the beach.

The light seeping into the bedroom slowly faded as the sun sank into lazy evening. And still Bella wouldn't let go. I marveled at the warmth our bodies created when we were so close.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long," she began. "I just... I had to get away. I'm sorry. You and Jasper were talking this morning... and I overheard. It made me... I don't know... scared. Made me feel trapped, all of a sudden..."

I froze. I wasn't expecting her to talk about this. I was expecting her to tell what had happened with her father.

"Bella... you don't have to worry about the things you overheard Jasper saying. I have no... expectations from you. Jasper was just doing what he does best, and that's getting a rise out of me."

Bella pulled back to look me in the eye. I imagined that her eyes were still red-rimmed and wet tear stains made her cheeks shine. She stared for a long time before she said, "Why are you so good to me?"

My fingertips came up and tested the dampness on her cheeks. I dried her tears as best I could. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm nobody. I am nothing. But you took me in. You've kept me safe. You've come to my rescue more than once. What am I to you?"

I swallowed thickly. _Unprepared. Completely unprepared._ "I... can't answer that question for you. Not... yet."

"But... I heard you say..."

"Not today," I pleaded. "I want to know what happened with your father on the beach."

"Oh." I heard her swallow. "Just my luck what we would cross paths in a place like this." She took a deep breath. "He and his buddies were surf fishing. That's what Charlie likes: sports, his job, and fishing. He hates everything else. And what he _really_ hates is being made a fool of. Which is, basically, what he says I've done. 'Nobody makes a fool out of Charlie Swan!' is what he said.

"I don't want to have anything to do with Charlie Swan ever again," she spat.

"I don't want you to have to be around him ever again," I agreed. "He's the one that was hurting you." It wasn't a question. Stating a fact.

Bella slowly nodded. "I think I want to change my name. Is that something I can do? Can that be done?"

"Yeah, definitely. If that's what you really want..."

Another nod. "As long as I'm not Bella Swan anymore. I want to be Bella... somebody else."

She clung to me a little tighter, and I could hear her start to cry again. Scared that this was all turning out to be too much for her, I pushed against her shoulder, laying her back so I could see her face. "Bella?"

She covered her eyes as she cried. "I've been so afraid for such a long time. The fear has been tearing me down for so long that I didn't know who I was anymore – I still have a hard time trying to figure out who I am.

"I'm just so thankful for you. Charlie... He made sure I didn't have anyone or anything – no help. There was no one I could ask for help. And he threatened me with the most awful things – I can't even repeat what he said he would do to me. But I'm not afraid with you. You've made me feel safe for the first time in a long time."

"Oh, Bella," I whispered – choked up. "I'll always do my best to protect you and take care of you."

"I still don't understand why, Edward. I have nothing to offer you. I'm just a stupid girl with daddy issues."

"Shh. Don't say things like that. Don't even think them. You're not stupid. I've seen your intelligence. And you saved yourself. You're the one that left and set off to a new and better life. You saved yourself. And that took guts."

Bella sniffled.

"You laid low and protected yourself until I came along. And I cannot tell you what, exactly, happened, but I was instantly drawn to you. I could tell you needed someone, badly. You just needed someone to care. When I first looked into your eyes, I saw your pain and fear, and I cared. How could I not? And then I got to know this beautiful, talented girl who'd never been given a proper chance at life. And I've grown fond of you. You make me feel good when we're together. You helped build up a sad, lonely bachelor who has been looking for someone to..." _Love._ But I didn't say love. Couldn't say it.

Bella laced our fingers together. "Thank you, Edward."

She finally pulled away a little and rubbed her hand down her arm. She flinched and her breath caught.

"What's the matter?" I found my glasses and slipped them on. I didn't miss the pained expression that flashed over Bella's face.

"My arm..."

"Let me see. Take your jacket off." I rolled and reached for the lamp while she slid her hoodie off her shoulders. The light let me see how pale and small her arms were. I didn't hesitate to push the sleeve of her T-shirt higher.

"Oh, Bella. He hurt you." I touched the sooty bruises on her skin with the tip of my finger.

"It only stings. I've had worse. Much worse..."

"But... This is something I can't tolerate. He can't put his hands on you anymore. We can get a restraining order put into place. This has to stop, Bella. We'll take pictures. We'll build a case against him. He needs to be put behind bars for what he's done to you."

"I know my... I know Charlie. He wouldn't make something like that easy. Like I said before, he doesn't like to be made a fool of."

"He'll probably be back, you know."

"Yeah," she sighed. "But I'll deal with him when that time comes." She pushed her sleeve down and wrapped her soft hoodie back around her shoulders.

I marveled at Bella's strength, her bravery. She wasn't going to let her bully of a father scare her. Yet something else I admired about her.

"He hit you." She raised her small hand and almost touched my nose. "Are you okay? Here I've been crying my eyes out, and you're the one hurt."

"Shh. I'm just fine. It'll be sore for a while, but that's okay. I'm glad we got to you before they took you away from me."

I sighed and stood. "Let's go downstairs. I'll take pictures of those bruises, and we can let Jasper know that you're okay."

She nodded but hesitated to move. "Thank you for coming to look for me. I'm glad you got there when you did." She leaned forward and pressed the side of her face to my chest. Surprised by her actions, my arms automatically came around her, like they were always meant to hold her, like she was always meant to fill my empty spaces.

I breathed her scent in deeply. "I'm so glad that you're okay. I was worried about you..."

Her arms threaded through mine until they knotted around my back. She squeezed me with a hug. It made me hungry for more of her hugs, her touch.

"Can we please talk about this?" she murmured into my shirt. She tilted her head back so that her eyes peeped up at me. _This_. Scared, trapped, she'd said. That's how _this_ made her feel. And I may have felt a little of that. But I was beginning to feel so much more for her. Could I talk about how much I wanted her while she was wrapped around me like this? I was just coming to the conclusion that I could be around her without hyperventilating...

"Tomorrow," I croaked. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

She lifted the corner of her mouth in a less than enthusiastic smile, but nodded.

Downstairs, Jasper was serious as he questioned Bella about her father. I busied myself with a digital camera, but paid close attention to their conversation.

"He's a Provost Marshal, part of the Military Police Brigade."

"What's that?" I asked.

Jasper explained, "They provide Garrison Law Enforcement and protection for the Fort Bragg community." He looked back to Bella. "So, why was he here?"

"Fishing. From what I gathered, he had the weekend off, and he and his buddies came here to fish. They were drunk. Like always."

"How did you end up running into them?" Jasper asked.

"I wasn't paying attention." Her eyes wandered over to me. "I had other things on my mind." Her gaze dropped back to her lap where she was knotting her fingers together. "He spotted me when I wandered too close. He probably recognized me by my hair. I think I should cut it off."

I inwardly groaned. Bella had great hair. Soft and long and feminine. I really hoped she wouldn't cut it.

"The other men that were with him, did they not try to stop your Dad from hurting you?"

Bella shrugged, she wouldn't look at either of us. "They're dirty old men and I never have liked them."

We all fell quiet and I took the pictures I needed for evidence. If I ever did have to present a case against Charlie Swan, I was damn well going to be prepared.

Bella nibbled at her dinner, mostly pushing the grilled chicken and wild rice around her plate. She soon went to her bedroom, with Tru keeping watch at her side.

"I'm going to make that man's life a living hell."

Confused, I stared at Jasper. "What?"

Jasper took a swig of his sweet tea, crunching on a chunk of ice. "You heard what I said. I've got friends in high places around base. It won't take much to get the information I need. That jackass is not gonna have a leg left to stand on."

I shivered in my seat. Jasper was dead calm. Dead serious. Deadly.

"Just... be careful," was all I could say.

The next morning I was back in my business suit. Jasper was back in his Army uniform, looking all business.

The weekend had been really good, actually, considering the bad things that happened. It wasn't the nightmare that it could have been. I could also tell that I'd been missing my brother in my life. I smiled to myself, remembering some of the better moments of the weekend.

"Come back to visit when you can, Jasper."

He grinned. "You may regret those words..."

I shook my head. "No. I've missed you. It was nice getting to spend some time with you."

"Well, I'm glad you're not here all by yourself anymore. And I'm glad that you've got that little watch-mutt, too. He'll keep you informed if any strangers come around." Jasper picked up his large, green canvas duffel. His hand was on the door as he said, "Oh. And tell that girl that you love her, would you? I think she needs to hear it. From what I've seen, she's not had a lot of it in her life." He stared at me from over his shoulder.

I stood back and tilted my head as I looked at Jasper. He was dead serious again.

"Love's important, little bro. Girls need lots of it."

And with that, Jasper slapped his hat on his head and marched out the door.


	12. Chapter 12

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Twelve

I wanted to take Bella out to dinner. I wanted to take her on a real date. I got to thinking what, exactly, we'd be talking about on this date, and I immediately changed my mind. I really didn't want to say what was on my heart in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

I'd never really had time for dating. Even in school, I made my excuses. _Too much homework. Need to study._ Not that there had been anyone to take out on dates.

But there was that one night in college that I didn't care to recall. I was a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill. One Saturday night saw a campus-wide party – the Tarheels had won... something, some sort of basketball championship. There were beer kegs every which way you turned. There were girls everywhere – girls drunk out of their minds.

I was stupid and got caught up in the party spirit. I drank way too much. I didn't know when to stop. It was the first time I ever had beer.

When I woke up the next morning, I wasn't alone in my bed. There was a girl curled up next to me in the sheets. We were both naked. I remember her breath smelling as foul as roadkill.

To this day, I still didn't know if I actually had sex that night. The girl didn't know either. She took one look at me and hoped we hadn't. It was the most devastating experience of my life.

I never drank another drop of alcohol since that time in college. I vowed never to lose such control of my senses again.

I'd learned my lesson. On so many levels.

Jasper and Emmett didn't even know about that horrible night. I was too embarrassed to ever tell the story.

I was twenty-nine years old, and I didn't know whether I was still a virgin or not.

I might as well be...

Would Bella look at me as if I were less than a man if she knew?

I wanted her to see me as a man in her eyes – strong, capable – someone who could be everything she needed. It was my deepest desire to be somebody's hero.

So maybe we should just have a nice evening at home. Just me and Bella... and the words I needed to say.

I didn't really know how to bring up some of these things in normal conversation... or if I should even divulge the embarrassments of my past. Bella seemed eager to talk.

I was more than nervous.

The knot of my tie had long since lost its shape, hanging limply from my collar as I pulled into the drive. The air felt much too hot in the garage. More buttons were loosened before I sat my briefcase down in my home office.

Tru greeted me with a satisfied sniff. He trotted back upstairs where Bella was walking down.

"I need to get a job."

"Hmm? A job? That's… probably not a good idea."

"It's a great idea. I'm running low on cash."

"Do you want to go out for dinner? Or stay in? I can't decide. What do you feel like doing?"

"I don't have clothes to go out in, Edward." She gestured to her jeans and hoodie. "This is all I have. And I'm running out of –"

"What?" I asked when she didn't finish.

Bella's cheeks reddened. "I've been thinking about this all day. I need to pull my own weight around here."

"You really shouldn't look for a job right now." I tugged on my hair. I'd already worried my tie and my buttons all to hell.

"Edward, I appreciate all that you have done for me, but I need to do for myself, now. This is something I need to do."

I didn't want her to get a job. I wanted to keep her here in my cocoon of safety. Her bruises were only just fading, and she'd had a nasty run-in with her father only yesterday afternoon. No, she needed to stay in my house, where it was safe.

"I need my keys, Edward."

I was starting to get even more nervous. Her keys? She'd leave me... "I don't think that's a good idea, either."

"You can't keep me here. You can't keep me tied to a leash like you do with Tru."

My spine snapped me upright like I'd been backhanded across the face. _My God… _I'd been holding her hostage.

Stricken, I fumbled with the contents in my right pants' pocket and pulled out the cracked plastic fob that belonged to Bella. Wordlessly, I held them out to her.

Bella just stared at me with an unbelieving expression on her face. Now she knew that I'd carried them with me from the start so that she couldn't find them while I was away at work.

She clamped her lips tightly together and ripped the keys from my fingers. She stormed out of the house without looking back.

Rooted to the same spot, I couldn't make myself go after her – I wouldn't make her submit to any demands or requests. Her words hit a little too closely on the truth. No, it was all true. I'd been keeping her all to myself. Not literally on a leash, but as good as. It was a betrayal to her. It showed a shocking lack of trust on my part.

I sat down on the piano bench and lightly ran my fingers over the ebony surface of the instrument. I felt ashamed and maybe a little sick to my stomach. But all I could do was stare blindly out the window.

Nothing had gone as planned. So much for our talk. Bella probably despised me now. I wasn't happy with myself.

I stared at nothing until I noticed that the sunlight had faded and the sky had turned deep blue. That's when I finally moved. I haphazardly pulled my jacket and the rest of my suit off. Tru was whining softly by the front door when I emerged from my bedroom in a white T-shirt, long boxer shorts, and bare feet.

I felt… bereft. Bella was gone and all her missing pieces were glaring holes – open wounds that were sure to fester and rot. I couldn't find my appetite, so I skipped out on dinner – a dinner that should have been romantic and set for two. Soft candlelight. I could even picture a fire crackling in the fireplace.

Maybe she was trying to tell me she didn't care for me.

I finally curled up on the couch and stared blankly at the television. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't on. Still in misery, I laid back and closed my eyes. I must have dreamed… dreams of Bella. They were fantasies. Bella and her long hair flowing around me – cradling me in silky mahogany waves. Her big brown eyes sparkling with happiness and desire as she dipped down for a kiss from my lips.

Tru barked and sent me flying upright on the couch.

The front door opened with a quiet creak and closed with an soft click. I heard feet and paws shuffling in the dark hallway.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

I jumped to my feet and moved around the couch, but I didn't go to her. I took a deep breath and clenched my hands by my sides. She had come back, and I just wanted to crush her in my arms and hug her all night.

I shook my head. "No. You were right. I'm the one who is sorry."

She stepped closer, the creamy light coming from the kitchen gently lit her face, and I could tell she'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red.

"You came back," I whispered.

Her lips trembled as she formed a watery smile. "I didn't actually go anywhere. I just sat in my truck. I didn't even leave the driveway."

I took a step closer. "Why?"

She laughed, but it sounded more like a sob as she looked down at her feet. "The truck wouldn't crank. It's probably sat idle for too long." We both shared an uncomfortable chuckle, but my heart didn't feel like laughing. She shuffled minutely closer, her eyes still downcast.

"I know there are things that you need, Bella. I can… I'm able to take care of you. I know you'd like to find employment, but until things settle down with your father, you should lay low. You shouldn't be out in places where you would be vulnerable. He'd be able to find you easier if you had a job. He could get the information he'd need that would lead straight to you. That's my only concern." I took a deep breath before I continued. "And... We've only known each other for such a short time, I realize that... and it's rational for you to want to start living a normal life again. I just worry."

Bella seemed to think long and hard about my words. She finally nodded in agreement. "I shouldn't have said those things…"

"No," I interrupted. "It's a little uncanny how true your words rang." I hung my head. I didn't know what to do with my hands.

"I'm still sorry."

"Me, too."

"I ruined our evening…"

I took a deep breath. "Day's not over yet, if you'd still like to talk."

Bella moved to the couch, and as she sat, Tru reared back on his hind legs and placed his front paws on her knees.

I chuckled quietly. "Tru is glad you're back. I think he's more your dog than mine at this point." I settled myself on the couch, a good cushion's length away from Bella. I rested my hands in my lap, only to remember that I had nothing but boxer shorts on. I felt myself burning up with embarrassment.

Bella noticed my discomfort. Bella seemed to notice everything. It must come from living with a tyrant – always judging his moods. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Not wanting to direct her attentions to the state of my undress, I cleared my throat and said, "Nothing."

"You said we could talk about your conversation with Jasper."

"Yeah. I haven't forgotten." I wasted time, stalling, by rubbing my hands up and down my arms. "Where did you… want to start?"

"I heard you say that you... liked me, but that you didn't want to put me in a position I didn't want to be in. What did you mean by that?"

I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. "Well, I meant that I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in this house. I've offered you protection and safety, first and foremost. I would never take advantage... I would never want to take advantage of you. I know what you heard Jasper say, but if you don't feel the same way about me... that's fine. I just don't want you to feel like you owe me anything..."

"Oh, I owe you plenty..." she whispered.

"I wish you didn't feel that way. I know what it's like to be bullied – I got beat up and bullied in school plenty of times. No one should have to deal with that. I just want to make things right for you. I feel... drawn to you..."

There was nothing but silence for a long stretch of time. I really didn't know how to express myself correctly. We both sat facing the windows, eyes focused on the night beyond, a world of space between us.

"This scares me... more than anything else," she said.

More silence. Deep, quiet breaths. It wasn't difficult to understand her meaning. Relationships were scary things. Relationships gave another person power over you.

"Do I scare you, Bella?"

"Yeah, you do," she answered honestly.

"That's good."

"Why is that good?"

"Because you scare the hell out of me."

More quiet. Heavy quiet.

"I've never been kissed before..."

I gulped in a breath. "Funny you should say that..."

"How come?"

I gave her a short, breathy laugh. "I've never kissed a girl before."

Cold fingers touched my sweaty ones, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I leaned back and finally looked at Bella. She was shaking. I was shaking.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" I asked her.

"Please."

I tightened my hand around hers and pulled her beside me, closing that world of space. My eyes drank in her shadowed face. I wanted to tell her she was beautiful. I decided to tell her without words.

Turning so that I faced her, I took her silken cheeks gently between my hands. I was going to savor every moment of this. This kiss had been a long time coming, for the both of us. I just hoped I didn't screw it up.

With my heart pounding away, I let my hands caress her as I trailed them down her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed. I followed the path it took for my lips to finally touch hers, and let my eyes fall shut when we made soft contact.

We stayed frozen in place for only seconds before our lips began to move. Testing. Tasting. Slow. Hot. Soft.

It was easy. It was also easy to want more. My hands slipped back up her neck. My fingers found her hair. A new angle. More pressure. A gentle nibble. The rasp of wet tongue.

I pulled her closer, almost into my lap, never breaking the kiss. I could swear that I almost felt drunk.

My mind flashed back to that horrible night in college. Drunk. Not in control. Heavy limbs, heavy eyelids, heavy breathing. I pulled away from Bella's wet lips. Was I making a fool of myself? Is this going too fast?

I shifted slightly back and away from the tempting girl in front of me. I was aroused, painfully and utterly, and in nothing but a pair of flimsy boxer shorts. I awkwardly hunched and crossed my arms over my thighs. I could only stare at her, and I could see her uncertainty. She was not ready for this.

"It's late," she whispered. "Maybe we should finish talking tomorrow."

I nodded and let her leave before me. I watched her go... wishing that I could go with her.

Sleep did not come easy, and I couldn't help but wonder if Bella was struggling to find rest as I did.


	13. Chapter 13

I wanted to call home and talk to Bella, but my day in court was a relentless schedule of event after event. Things were going well, but I still wanted to hear her voice. Make sure she was okay after what had transpired the night before. Did she regret kissing me? I sure didn't.

As soon as I came through the door that evening, the house... smelled good.

There were candles burning, scented ones that Mom had left in a cabinet in the kitchen. I was surprised to see that the house was sparkling. It had been cleaned. There was no dust on the hardwoods where foot traffic was scarce. No little dust bunnies hiding under the piano.

This was a bit surprising. I was excited about getting home, seeing Bella, but I hadn't expected this.

But where was she?

I began the daily divest ritual as I went to my bedroom. I stopped short when I found Bella going through my hamper.

"What are you doing?" My voice was remarkably high-pitched.

Bella gave me a strange look; she had a pair of my boxers in her hand. "Um... Laundry."

"B-but those are m-my... underwear..."

A blankness stole over her features. "Are they really? I thought they were yesterday's dishes."

Completely horrified, I glanced from her to the boxers, then back to Bella again. She finally cracked a smile.

"What's the matter, Edward? It's just underwear."

_Ha!_ I thought. Underwear that _you_ are _touching_, that you are planning to wash, that I'm going to wear next to my most private places.

This was not a good thought process. Bella touching my dirty underwear was in no way like Bella touching my...

I started ripping at the noose around my neck. Things were going south really quickly. Literally.

"Thanks for... doing my laundry. I guess."

She just shrugged. "Wish I could do more."

"What else would you want to do?" I ventured to ask.

She frowned and looked down. "I wish I could cook a nice meal for you. That dinner you made the first night I was here... I don't think I've ever tasted anything as good as that. I'd like to do the same for you."

"Well," I hedged. "I could teach you to cook..."

She smiled a little. "I'd like that. But I've got to warn you... I'm horrible at it."

"Okay. We can go slow."

"Okay," she agreed.

I glanced around the room once more as we both fell silent. An idea came to me.

"How about a trade? I'll teach you to cook if you teach me to play piano. What do you say?"

Bella's expressive eyes traveled to the direction of the grand piano. "You want to learn piano?"

"Yes, I've always wanted to learn. Think you can teach a no-talent wannabe like me?"

"First of all, you're not a no-talent wannabe. Second of all, you shouldn't put yourself down like that. And, thirdly, yes, I can teach you."

The tensions of the night before seemed to have dissipated. There was still more to say, but I guess I'd been given a reprieve.

By Wednesday, with a lot of encouragement, Bella knew how to chop carrots. And I knew how to play the C Major chord.

Thursday had Bella peeling potatoes like a champ, and I played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with my right hand.

Friday, Bella helped me bake brownies and she taught me what an arpeggio was. That night, I also got a phone call from Jasper. He'd been busy over at Fort Bragg.

"So I've got some news on our new friend, Charles Swan."

"Yeah?" I gestured to my phone and left the untidy kitchen to Bella's care, and closed the door when I got to my office. "Tell me everything."

"He's an asshole."

I rolled my eyes, then started massaging my forehead. "I've not seen any evidence to disprove that fact."

"Hehh!" Jasper chuckled. "So lawyerly, little bro. Nobody around town likes this guy, Edward. I've had no trouble recruiting a few guys to go over and TP his house."

"You what?"

"Yeah. Mummified the place. Flaming bags of dog shit and all." Jasper was still laughing over the line.

"You got grown men to do all that? You sound like a bunch of rag-tag juvenile delinquents."

"Cool, huh?"

I groaned and shook my head. "What else?"

"He's a bully. He's got a bad attitude. And he probably only put out like five posters about Bella missing. Dude... he didn't even put in a formal report down at the police station. Don't you think that's peculiar? Why wouldn't he do that?"

I frowned. It was disturbingly peculiar.

Jasper continued. "This Charlie Swan, bro... he's off his rocker. Now, I've been keeping an eye on him when I can – and I have others watching him. But he's... volatile. Unpredictable. He's got some nasty stuff going on, man. You and Bella better be thanking the good Lord that she's away from him. And you better be praying that he doesn't come after her. This dude... I've got a bad feeling, Ed."

I was silent as I soaked in all Jasper was saying. What was Charlie into? "Keep me informed of anything, Jasper. I don't like this."

"Will do, Ed."

Jasper ended the call and I sat back. Charlie's actions weren't making any sense. And I had a real fear for what he could do and the trouble he could cause Bella. I was more determined than ever to make Bella safe.

Saturday morning, before Bella woke up, I was going through personal mail that had been sent to me from clients through the office. A harmless looking envelope addressed to me fell out of the stack. Curious, I opened it first.

To my utter astonishment, the letter was from Charlie Swan.

It seemed that I had given him all the information he needed that day we'd crossed paths on the beach. He'd looked up law offices in the area – my picture and name were easily found on my firm's website.

I was going to have that information removed as soon as I could. I was angry that it was so easy for Charlie Swan to find me.

Charlie's letter was a threat.

I was to send Bella home or he was coming after her. He would kill me if I stood in his way. Plain and simple.

"Well... Charlie Swan, that's not going to happen."

I sat down and thought long and hard about what I should do. I could hardly give credence to the threat to myself, but Bella was of age to do as she pleased. Charlie Swan no longer had power over her. Bella wanted nothing to do with the name of Swan...

An idea formed in my mind. But I didn't know if this was an idea that Bella would go for.

I took her shopping after lunch on that same Saturday. I was in the way, mostly. She gathered only the things she needed, and then I realized why she'd been too embarrassed about what she was running out of. Feminine products.

At a local clothing store, she picked out the bare necessities. Affordable jeans. A pair of slacks. A nice shirt. Socks.

I watched her stop, mid-search, to touch a pretty dress. She quietly withdrew her hand and turned away, but I didn't miss the admiration in her eyes.

"Bella, wait..."

She turned back to me in question. I touched the hanger of the dress she had looked at. "Try this one on."

"No... I don't need that."

"I still think you should try it on. Pick out your size."

She finally relented, chewing on her lip as she chose the dress and took it to a dressing room. She came out with it on, looking so dainty and pretty and ladylike. My eyes ate her up.

"Here's the problem with dresses, Edward. You have to have shoes to go with them. I don't think I'll need this."

"Well, why don't you get some shoes that you can wear with several outfits. Get what you need, Bella. I don't mind."

She did a small half turn, setting the skirt of the dress in a flutter away from her knees. "It's so pretty. I've never had anything this pretty before... that I can remember."

I smiled, so happy to do this for her. "Now you have something for going out in."

That evening, we took our typical walk with the breeze and the late sun surrounding us. Bella was barefoot – the legs of her jeans rolled up to show off her slender ankles. Her hair flew around her, the flyaway cloud fragrant with an apple flavor.

She was like a flower – fragile and soft – radiating a quiet, soulful beauty. I never tired of stealing glimpses of her.

I brought up the letter that her father had sent. Bella was not surprised.

"He can be crafty and underhanded when he wants to be."

After a quiet distance walking beside each other, I decided to tell her about my idea.

"Bella..."

"Mmhmm?" she hummed at me.

"I've been thinking about you changing your last name..." I was about to reveal my big plan. And if I didn't present it correctly and succinctly, she probably wouldn't go for it. I wanted it to work for us. It was surprising how badly I wanted it.

I cleared my throat, stuffed my hands in my pockets. "Now, I want you to think about this. I've been thinking it over. It feels like a solid plan. It feels... right. And I know it's only been a few weeks and we are just scratching the surface with each other, but... I'm sure... You make me feel sure..." I looked off down the beach, collecting myself and my thoughts.

"We don't have to change things as they stand. We can work through new obstacles as they come at us... but I... I want you to take my last name."

When I finally looked at Bella, I had to turn around. She was stopped a few paces behind me as I had kept walking. She stood faced off against me, Tru's leash firmly in her hands. Her mouth was open in mute disbelief as she puzzled over what I'd said.

"I know this may seem sudden and spontaneous, and maybe a tad crazy... but you could marry me. Take my name. Let me take care of you. Establish yourself here. Get a job or go to college if you want. I can offer you stability and a chance to get back on your feet. You won't ever have to worry about being in an abusive situation ever again."

She gaped up at me, blinking several times. "You... You're asking me to marry you?"

I nodded.

She swallowed. "A... a _real_ marriage?"

I know I blushed. It was easy for my mind to go to places that were not fit to be thought of in the light of day. I looked down at my feet before I replied. "Only if you want it to be... And only when you want it to be. I won't... push for anything to change. I'm... happy." I nodded and smiled.

"Marriage is sacred. Momma used to say that. She said marriage is never something someone should do in haste."

I nodded in agreement. "Yes. And I want you to think about it. It could be a very simple ceremony in front of the Justice of the Peace. And when we go home, nothing has to change. Then you'll be able to make the necessary changes in your life to start fresh. And I'll be there to help you."

"As my husband?"

A pleasant warmth stole over me. I nodded. "And you would be my wife."

Bella swallowed thickly. "So the sooner we do this... the sooner I could actually have a life?" Hope lightened her words.

"Yes. I think so."

"That actually sounds wonderful." She looked down to fiddle with the end of Tru's leash in her hand. "I've never had much of a life – not since Momma's been gone."

My heart broke for her, and it just made me want to give her the whole world.

And then she said the words that would forever change my life.

"Yes, I'd like to marry you, Edward."


	14. Chapter 14

Bella was staring at the metal pan in front of her, tapping her foot on the floor as she planted her hands firmly on her hips. "This is not going to work," she said quietly, looking at me through her curtain hair.

I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's not. I can't cook…"

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. "Bella, you have to have a little faith," I said, cracking my knuckles. "We've been working up to this all week long. This is just the next step. And this is simple."

Bella gave me a sideways glance.

"Grilled cheese…" I told her.

She laughed once, crossing her arms over her chest. "You go ahead. I'll watch the first time."

With a sure nod, I went to the fridge, returning with cheese, bread and butter. "So, first, you heat up the pan… I usually set it on five, since its half way in between low and high." She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. After the stove had warmed it up a little, I buttered one side of a slice of bread and placed it in the pan, butter side down. It sizzled, some of the butter oozing out from under the bread. "Then, you lay two slices of cheese on the bread so it covers the whole side." I buttered another side of bread and put it on top of the cheese, butter side up.

"Then what?" she asked, leaning her weight on one foot. "Do you flip it over now?"

I shook my head. "Not right away. I wait approximately two minutes…" Her eyes flashed to the clock I had next to the sink and didn't take them away until two minutes had passed. I grabbed a spatula from the counter and slid it under the bread, flipping it over.

More time passed and soon, I flipped the sandwich onto a plate. "And, voilà; a grilled cheese sandwich."

Bella nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Impressive."

"Do you want to give it a go?" I asked her, handing over the cooking supplies. She shook her head. My shoulders slumped.

"Come on, Bella. It's easy."

She cautiously reached her hand out for the butter knife. As slowly as humanly possible, Bella began to spread the butter on the bread and place it in the pan. "Butter side down, right?"

I nodded and she dropped it, smiling as she heard the sizzle.

"Now the cheese," I said, handing her the deli package.

She made a face. "Two slices of cheese so it covers the whole side of the bread," she said in a low voice, mimicking me. I smiled, rolling my eyes playfully.

Bella buttered another slice of bread just as the phone rang. She jumped, dropping the knife onto the floor.

The name on the caller ID flashed _Cullen, Carlisle_. It was most likely my mother. _Oh, shit._ Mother's Day. "You… You can handle this, right?" I asked, pointing to the half sandwich in the pan.

She bent down and picked up the knife. "What? No! What if it burns? I'll probably set the house on fire, or myself!"

I laughed. "You'll be fine. Just flip it over in two minutes and it'll be fine," I said, taking the cordless phone off the counter. "Hello?"

"Edward!" my mother shouted loudly, so loudly, in fact, that I jerked the phone away from my ear. "I've been calling for days!"

My forehead creased. "I never got any calls from you," I said, wandering out of the kitchen to the door that led to the porch. She sighed. "But it's nice to hear from you. How have you been, Mom?"

"I'm fine, everyone's fine. Your father's been so busy at work, but your brothers come visit us often, as well as Alice. You remember Alice, don't you?" I made a noise of disgust. "Oh, Edward, be nice. She's such a sweet girl, so chatty and bubbly, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Mom, I sort of... remember…"

She was silent for a minute. "Well, Edward, I called for a reason."

"I figured you had."

"Don't be rude. I just wanted to arrange a small family gathering." I pursed my lips into a straight line.

"Just me, your father, you, your brothers and Rosalie. It's been so long since we've seen you." A sigh escaped me and I looked at the floor, dragging my foot from side to side. "We could have it at your house, since it's the biggest one and you have so many guest rooms…"

I rested my shoulder on the door frame. "Gosh, Mom… I don't know if that's such a good idea…"

She sucked in a quick gasp. "Oh, why not? We miss you. You're so far away from all of us… And it will be Father's Day weekend. Your father could use a break," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Mom, but I'm sort of busy with some things here."

My mother tsked her tongue once. "You're always busy, Edward. What have you got going on that's so important?"

Just as my mother said this, there was a loud beeping and the smell of something burning filled my nose. I took a glance over my shoulder to see Bella staring wide eyed at the stove. There was smoke billowing up all around her, getting thicker and thicker as the grilled cheese burned more and more.

"Uh, Mom, I gotta go."

"Wha- Edward, no, we need to talk about this. Tell me what's got you so busy."

I started toward the kitchen. "You know what? Father's Day weekend sounds perfect. I'll see you all then. Gotta go, love you, bye."

I ended the call and dropped the phone on the floor, running over to the stove. Bella backed out of the way as I reached for the pan, grasping the metal handle. "Holy shit!" I shouted, wrenching my hand away, dropping the pan. It clattered to the tile floor and Bella shrieked, and slammed against the refrigerator to get out of the way.

With a pot holder lining my unburned hand, I hastily picked up the pan and threw it into the sink, running cold water on it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she whimpered. There were tears staining her cheeks.

The beeping seemed to grow louder as I grabbed a dish towel, fanning away smoke while I stabbed at the stupid smoke detector with the end of a broom. Bella had her ears covered; her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled within herself.

After what seemed like hours of trying to turn off the smoke alarm, the cloud finally ebbed. The kitchen grew silent and I sat down on one of the stools, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said over and over again, clutching her arms around her chest.

"Bella… Don't cry. It's okay; I shouldn't have freaked out like that." Slowly, I approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. My palm stung but I ignored it, lifting her chin with my other hand. "Nothing to worry about."

Bella looked at me with her brown doe-like eyes. "I'm a disaster," she said. Her chin was quivering so I flashed her a crooked smile.

"No, you're not. You'll get the hang of it. Just don't get so nervous."

She gave me a small nod and I nodded back, taking my hand off her shoulder. I looked down at the burn.

"Oh, your hand," she said quietly, holding it gingerly as she examined the red marks on my fingers. "I'm so sorry."

I tried to close my hand. A little stiff. "Eh, it'll be fine."

She shook her head, wiped her eyes dry. "No, it won't. You should really wrap it up." Bella instantly opened the freezer and took out a frozen gel pack. "Go sit down," she said, pointing to the island stool. I obeyed, resting my hand on the cool granite counter. She wrapped the gel pack in a thin dish towel, placing it on my palm carefully.

I groaned at both the pain and the amazing feeling of something cool touching the burn. Bella placed my hand over the pack and pressed down. "Hold it like that for a minute while I go get the burn ointment," she said, walking around me and to my bedroom.

"How do you know where I keep it?" I shouted, looking over my shoulder.

I heard her laugh. "Isn't it obvious?" she called back and I smirked. "Don't most people keep things like this in their bathrooms?"

She appeared back in the kitchen with the little white tube, waving it at me triumphantly. "This just goes to show how super organized you are."

Bella removed the ice pack from my hand and began lightly dabbing the cream around on my hand before rubbing it in fully.

"You know," I said quietly, "when I was little and I used to get injured, my mother would always kiss the spot where I got hurt."

She smiled, soothingly running her fingers along my palm. "Is that so?"

I nodded. "My mom used to do the same thing to me. No matter where it was. One time, I stubbed my bare toe on a rock and she kissed it. My toe!" Bella began to laugh, her giggle ringing through the room like music.

"When I was first learning to ride a bike, I would always fall off and scrape up my sides." For a moment, Bella stopped spreading the ointment on my hand to look me in the eyes. "And when the place was too weird for her to kiss, she'd kiss her two fingers then press it to my cut."

She nodded her head, looking at my hand. Then she slowly leaned down, pressing her lips carefully on my palm. The kiss was so soft and I didn't want her to take her lips away. It felt like sparks were shooting through my veins, tingling where her lips were softly pressing into my skin.

After a moment, she lifted her head, smiling at me. "How does it feel? Is it getting better?"

"Incredibly so," I responded dumbly, keeping my eyes on her as she reached for the gel pack.

She took the dish towel off then pressed the pack to my hand. "Just keep that on for about an hour… It should be better by tomorrow."

I nodded, my eyes still drawn to her beauty. "Well, thank you, Bella. This was very nice of you to do."

Bella gave me a soft smile, a small dimple appearing on her right cheek. "Anytime."

"Listen... that was my mom on the phone. They're all coming here for Father's Day weekend. I tried to deter her, but it wasn't happening. We're going to have a lot of company next month."

"Oh," she said as her eyebrows came together low on her forehead. "Are we going to tell them that we're getting married?"

I gave her a lopsided grin. "No... let's surprise them."

"What if your parents don't like me?"

I was touched that it mattered to her. It assured me that she actually cared. "I have no doubt that they are going to be happy for us. But everyone's going to be here at one time. It may be a lot to handle for one weekend. At least you already know Jasper."

"Jasper's all right. He's funny, but he's so intense. Sometimes I didn't know how to take him."

"Well... that's Jasper. Nobody knows how to take him. Emmett's a lot of fun. You'll get to meet his girlfriend, Rosalie. They're both school teachers."

I looked around the kitchen then. There was a mess to clean up. "If you'll open the kitchen door, let's see if we can't get the smell of burning cheese and toast out of here."

"I'll really sorry about all this."

"Things like this happen. I don't know why it upset you so..."

"I just panicked, I guess, when I saw the smoke. I told you I was very bad at cooking."

I smiled and shook my head. "I'll make sure not to leave you by yourself next time you attempt to cook."

Later at the piano, Bella had me playing every Major chord and naming it. When I'd had enough of my unmusical banging, I asked Bella to play something for me. I slid over on the bench and she sat beside me.

She played a deep, sweet tune that ranged over most of the ivory keys. Her hands mesmerized me as they floated lightly across the board. When she was finished, I said, "You ought to do something with your music, Bella."

She lowered her eyes and shook her head. "Music's all I have left. Everything else I had has been taken from me. Music is something I think I'll keep to myself."

I took her hand, feeling humbled because what she said was true. First her mother was taken from her. Then her happiness, safety, freedom. I'd even have to say that she lost her father along the way as well.

"Bella," I said as I stroked her knuckles. "I will make it my life's goal to see that nothing is ever taken from you again."


	15. Chapter 15

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Fifteen

On a perfect, warm June evening on the beach, I finally took her hand in mine. I was hoping – with this move – to at least graduate to the hand holding stage of our relationship.

I clasped Bella's hand with great care. She blushed as she looked at our hands so intimately pressed together – the cold silver band on her left ring finger quickly warmed next to my skin. It was the only outward sign of our shared nuptials, besides the fact that our hands were now joined. After the quiet, small ceremony, nothing had changed. Bella stayed in her room. I stayed in my room. And that was fine. And Bella thought that was fine.

And our marriage was... fine.

There was a sweet, steady ache within me that was... not fine.

Inside me was a voracious hunger for my wife. It was like seating myself at a table laden with all my favorite foods, but I denied myself even a taste. I was starving, wanting, craving.

I had the feeling that only Bella could cure the hungry feelings, but I was waiting. Patiently. All the while I was burning, sweetly, steadily.

Holding her hand only stoked the fire.

Did Bella even have a clue about the passions that burned so hotly within her new husband? Did she have an inkling of the brightness of that flame? I had to find out. I had to know.

I went for a kiss. I stopped in the sand, I didn't care that there were other people around. I was going to kiss my wife.

My stopping brought Bella up short, and I pulled her into me. The look in her eyes spoke of her confusion with my actions, but I soon took a deep breath and plunged – right for her parted mouth. Raspberry lips, tender and rosy and sweet.

I pulled her deeper into the curve of my body, willing her to yield to me – to sweetly surrender. I was overjoyed to find her lips responding. And I noted again how easy it was. I never knew something as intimidating as a kiss could be such an easy thing.

She angled her head more securely against mine, and I slipped my tongue inside her mouth. She was silk and butter and pearl behind her lips.

She moaned – a quiet sound – and I pressed my whole body against hers. Bella's arms slowly came around me; her hands were soon digging into my back. The triumph I felt in that moment was overwhelming. Bella was actually holding me and kissing me back.

Our kiss came to an abrupt halt when Tru chose that moment to bark and pull against the leash. The trouble was that the leash had wrapped around both our legs.

Losing my balance, I fell, taking Bella down with me. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't fallen on her – penis first – while I was painfully hard. My erection gouged into her belly. At Bella's sharp intake of breath, I looked down and noticed my hand was crushing one of her breasts.

I quickly removed it, but it was too late. Her softness had already branded me, and it would forever be ingrained in my memory.

"Shit, Bella, are you okay? I didn't mean to..." I gulped and rolled to try and get us untangled.

I finally got us to our feet, and Bella was looking up at me with wide, dazed eyes. Her gaze flickered down to my protruding fly, and then speedily away.

Yeah. She'd felt my boner. Full force.

I cleared my throat and grabbed for Tru's leash. "Come on, you silly mutt. Can't sit still for five seconds, can you."

Bella didn't lose the wide-eyed look all the way back to the house.

For the remainder of the evening, Bella stayed quiet. Even through dinner, she didn't have much to say. I was beginning to feel a little scared when she returned to her room before nine o'clock.

"You've done it now, Edward," I mumbled through the nightly news. I decided to shut up and go to bed at eleven-thirty.

But sleep did not come.

I contemplated the ceiling and the sound of the waves down below on the beach – as well as what I could do to make things right again with Bella. I was at a loss. How would one come clean about his true feelings for a wife, whom he didn't share a bed with? Lying with my arms folded behind my head, I was relaxed, but I was ill at ease. The week was starting out rough, and I wasn't looking forward to Bella's avoidance.

I nearly fell out of the bed when the house phone started ringing on my nightstand. I paused to read the caller ID. _Cullen, Edward_ flashed on the phone's digital screen.

"How odd," I murmured before answering. My alarm clock read twelve ten. "Hello?"

A breath sounded over the line, then, "Edward. It's me."

I shot to my feet. "Bella? What's wrong? Are you okay? What's... Why are you calling me on the house phone?" This couldn't be good.

"Hush, Edward. Be still. I can hear the panic in your voice. I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you."

I scratched my head before answering. "You can talk to me anytime, Bella, but... why did you use the house phone? I could go to you. Or you could come to me."

"No... It's not that." I heard her sigh. "I just feel more comfortable if I don't have to look you in the eye right now and say what I want to say."

I felt my body start to go numb. I fell back on the bed and closed my eyes, but there was no way for me to prepare for the heartbreak that I knew was coming. "I'm so sorry, Bella, for what happened this afternoon. I'm... I don't know what to say. I'm a man." I couldn't even laugh at my lame joke. I cleared my throat to try and break up the tightness I was feeling there.

"I'm lying in my bed, thinking about the man you are."

My eyes popped open. "Huh?"

"I'm thinking about what a wonderful man you are, and..." She swallowed loudly. "And the way you kiss me..."

She's thinking about the way I kiss her? She's not thinking about telling me to go to hell? "Um, is that good?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Good. My kisses. She liked them. My breathing kicked up a notch. "Bella..."

"You were... I could feel you, um... I could tell that you were... God! This is why couldn't do this face to face. I could feel your..." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Manhood."

I laughed, just a little. "I embarrassed you. I'm sorry. It happens, I can't help it."

"I don't think I was embarrassed. I think it was something else..."

"What do you mean by 'something else,'" I asked.

She paused. "What do you mean when you say you 'can't help it'?"

I breathed out another laugh. "Uh... It happens when I get near you. Especially when we touch or kiss." I sighed. "It's just you, Bella. Because of you. You make me want things."

Her breath hitched before she said, "What things?"

I swallowed hard. "I don't know if you're ready to hear—"

"Edward, I want to know. You're the only one who can tell me."

I took a deep breath before I began. "I want you in my bed. I want to kiss you and touch you and make love to you. Then I want to do the same thing in my shower. In the hot tub. On the kitchen counter. On the floor in front of the fire place. Oh, God, on the stairs. On the beach. In every other bed in this house." I rolled over and smashed my face into my pillow, just to make myself stop talking.

Silence was all I could hear on the line between us.

I raised myself up and uttered, "But I don't want those things unless you do."

It seemed like it took a long time for her to answer. "I think that's what surprised me the most, today," she said quietly. "I'm beginning to realize I want those things, too."

Bella hung up the phone.

I tapped the off button and threw the handset down on my bed.

I rolled to my back and smiled. Then I went and took a cold shower.


	16. Chapter 16

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning, after a quiet breakfast with lots of blushing and covert eye contact, Bella walked with me to the door leading out to the garage. She stood on the step above me, putting her face level with mine. She didn't smile or warn me, she just placed her hands softly on my cheeks and pulled me in for a kiss. The sweetness of the moment nearly brought me to my knees. And I didn't want to stop. I wanted to go back into the house and find new ways to kiss her.

But I couldn't. Not yet.

I backed away, gently taking her lips with me, until the kiss ended.

"That's the best start to a day I've ever had."

Bella laughed a little and said, "Take care on the roads."

"I will. I'll see you after work."

Jasper called me later in the afternoon. He certainly wasn't his jovial self. And as he kept feeding me new information, I understood why.

"I got him fired, Ed."

"Fired?" I asked. "From his job as a Provost... thing?"

"Yep. But now that I know a little more about him, I don't think it's such a good thing that Charles Swan has so much free time on his hands." Jasper paused. Then, "Ed... I want you to sit down for this. Because this is some messed up shit. I heard some things... We're talking like... human trafficking. I can't prove it, but I think that's what Swan was planning. I think he was planning on making a pretty buck off Bella. Seems like this has been happening in Fayetteville, lately. There's a unifying trend in recent missing persons cases."

All the breath left me. "Let me... breathe a second. Let me get this straight, just so I don't make a mistake. You mean Sex Trade? Humans selling humans as sex slaves?"

"That's my understanding. Can you believe this? That this day in age, this kind of thing goes on? God. What a fucked up world."

Yes, it was fucked up. It made my blood boil. It made me see red. It made me want to break things. "Bella's father was going to..."

I wanted to vomit.

Jasper heaved a loud sigh on the other end of the line. "Shit just got real, Edward."

My mood during the rest of the week was introspective and contemplative. I thought way too much about what could have been – things way beyond my scope of control. I worried about Bella. I looked at her and my heart hurt because there was a chance that I may never have met her. That she could have been sold... _sold. _Now that she was with me, it was difficult for me to comprehend life without her.

Bella knew something was up, that things weren't right with me, but I tried to put on a happy front for her. I didn't know whether she knew of Charlie's plans or not. It seemed way more cruel to tell her than not.

On Thursday evening, Mom called to remind me that everyone would be there Friday afternoon. Like I was going to forget it. I still hadn't told Mom the news about Bella and me. I was hoping that Jasper hadn't said anything to her either, but I figured he was pretty busy finding out information on Swan. I knew my mother was going to freak out on me later for keeping something as momentous as a marriage from her, but I really just wanted to tell everyone at one time when they arrived.

"And we don't want to forget your birthday while we're all together, this weekend, sweetie."

I groaned. "Mom, I don't want you to make a fuss."

"My baby boy is turning thirty. I have to make a fuss. I also wanted to remind you that I've invited that sweet little Alice Brandon along for the weekend."

"Why did you do that?" I couldn't keep the indignation and disbelief from coloring my tone.

"Oh, do be nice. She's been asking after you. I think you both have a lot in common. And I want you to settle down with a nice girl and be happy."

"Mom, you can't set her up with me. Please don't invite her."

"It's already done. We'll be there sometime after four o'clock. Jasper's going to make it, too. Won't it be wonderful to be together all at once?"

"Yeah, it'll be great." I sighed. "I'm looking forward to it." It was difficult to not be facetious.

I was looking forward to the weekend's events with part trepidation, part anticipation. I planned on relishing the look on my mother's face when I tell her the news. But I knew, afterward, I'd have to prepare myself for the most epic ass kicking in Mother-Son disciplinary history. Dad would probably be surprised, but I knew he'd be happy for me. Emmett would more than likely crack a raunchy joke about it – and then get _his_ ass kicked by his girlfriend for joking about marriage. I already knew I had Jasper's blessing.

The next thing I had to do was tell Bella that she needed to move herself and her things into my bedroom.

I found her sitting at the dining table. She was smiling down at the items laid out in a neat line before her.

"Look," she said, pointing. "They all say the same thing, now. Isabella Marie Cullen." She had lined up her new social security card and her new driver's license, as well as her new college identification card. She also had a health insurance card, since I'd added her to my plan through the office.

"Good name, Mrs. Cullen." I grinned and looked down, too, as I rested my hands on her shoulders. It was a nice feeling to be able to touch another human being in this way.

I glanced at the different cards, and then frowned. "Wait. Why does your driver's license say 'Under 21'? That can't be right..."

Bella stilled under my hands and snatched the driver's license out of my line of vision.

I got a sickening feeling in my gut. "Bella. May I please look at your driver's license?"

Her fingers clutched the card tightly, but she hung her head and finally relented. "Please don't be mad at me." My heart broke at the defeat in her voice.

I held my breath and checked the date on the license. I did the math in my head. Twice.

"You're only twenty years old?" I was in shock for a moment. How could I have missed this? How could I have bungled something this important so royally? And why didn't she tell me?

Bella was standing now and kept backing away, anticipating my wrath, my fists, my violence.

Still staring down at the license, I said, "Have you learned anything about me in the time that you've known me?"

Bella was surprised at the question. Afraid, but the question seemed to throw her for a loop. "Yeah. I guess I have."

"Then you should know by now that I'd never do anything to hurt you, so stop backing away from me." Sure, I was a little angry. A little. Only a little. "You lied to me about your age." I thought back to when we both went to get the marriage license; I never looked that closely when she flashed them her ID. I just took her word for it. I felt like a new kind of idiot.

I dropped the plastic card and it landed on the table with a light slap. I held on to the back of a chair. Bella lied about this, what else had she lied about? "What else have you not told me," I asked without emotion.

"I don't know."

"Sit down." I pointed to the chair across from me. I did not sit. I was only a little angry. Only a little.

I almost smiled when Bella stomped over to the chair and slammed down into it, showing a little temper. I supposed she was unhappy about me ordering her around.

She sat on her hands and glared down at the table. The driver's license lay between us.

"I can guess why you lied about your age at first, but why did you never tell me later on?"

Bella unclenched her gritted teeth. "I thought you knew, since you saw that poster. I thought maybe that you didn't care. So I never brought it up again. You didn't either."

No, I never brought it up. That damn poster. I studied that scrap of paper, but I didn't look deeper. Something I should have done when I saw her birth date – but I failed to do so. Maybe, deep down, I didn't want to know the truth. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"Are you mad at me?" Her voice had lost some of its fire.

I was plenty mad, but not completely mad at Bella. I was a fool, not an unfamiliar feeling for me, but I'd walked into this with wide open arms. I was glaring. "I'm not mad at you."

"Looks like you are." A little spark of that fire was back.

I dropped my eyes and tugged at my hair. "We should talk about what we need to do about this."

"What do you mean? Why does something have to 'be done' about it?"

"You lied to me about your age."

"So... What? What's wrong with twenty?"

"It seems... awfully young. Too young to be married." What was my argument here? It was too late to backtrack now. And divorce was not in my nature.

"People my age get married every day. You didn't take our vows seriously? Because I did. You have given me the only chance I've ever been given. And I still don't know how I got so lucky. But you've been good to me. And married me. And I married you. Do you want to get rid of me? Is that it? Because I'm not some perfect age?"

God, help me, that was not what I wanted. I stared at Bella, lost, because she was the only thing I wanted. The only one. Nothing else mattered but her.

"No. That's not it."

"I'm just too young, now that you're aware of my age."

Shaking my head, I said, "Is there any reason I can't trust you now? Because it all boils down to that. I won't tolerate lying, Bella."

Bella sat back, crossed her arms over her chest. "I haven't lied to you about anything else. I know I haven't told you much about me, but I did lie about my age to protect myself."

"Why did you think you had to lie about your age?"

"Because I didn't want you or anyone else trying to send me back home to Charlie. I had to steal money so I could leave. I'd been saving up stray coins and dollars. Even the change that fell out of Charlie's pockets when I did laundry. He kept a jar of cash in the kitchen cupboard. I took all that too. I even pawned a gold ring that belonged to Momma."

She sighed and shrugged. "I had to get away. By any means necessary."

I nodded. A liar _and_ a thief. I shouldn't have been surprised by this new development, but it made sense. I had a feeling that Charlie kept Bella under lock and key, and possibly under extreme conditions. I was thankful that she'd been smart enough to get away from her father. "I don't think anyone's going to hold that against you."

"Do you?" she asked.

"No."

"But you're not going to forget it, are you."

With a sad grin, I said, "Not for a little while."

Bella dropped her head forward, but I heard her whisper, "I don't want to disappoint you. I want to be married to you."

_Married. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health… until death us do part. A promise I made before God._ I'd gotten sidetracked from my original mission. My family would be coming for the weekend. I could just imagine introducing Bella to them, my wife, ten years my junior. "My mother's going to think I've taken advantage of you." Twenty-one didn't seem that young. Twenty-one was a good, solid, independent age. Twenty, to some, like my mother, might appear too young.

Bella's eyes pleaded with mine. She was scared. "Then don't tell her. I'll be twenty-one in September."

I nodded and fell silent for a short while. I reached across the table and grabbed one of her hands, and started caressing her fingers with my thumb. "You have to move into my room."

She let out a little gasp, and her cheeks began to turn rosy. She lowered her eyes as she said, "Okay. Anything. I'll do anything. I'll have sex with you."

I jerked back my hand like it had been burned. "Oh, God, no! Stop! It's... That's not what I meant. Shit, Bella... I'm not going to make you do anything. Please just... listen to me for a second. Everyone will be here this weekend. Mom and Dad, Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper, and Mom's even invited one of her friends. They'll be using all the upstairs bedrooms. That's why you need to move in with me. So please don't make this out to be anything else, other than two people sharing a room. Nothing's changed. Okay?"

"But what about the things you said on the phone the other night? You want me in your bed."

I rolled my eyes heavenward, searching for strength. That night's conversation brought things to a new level between us. Desires were out in the open, now. I met her eyes directly. "Yes, I do want you in my bed. Very much," I said quietly. "But I'm going to try very hard to forget what I said that night. I will be nothing but the perfect gentleman."

Bella propped her chin on her fist and contemplated me with a frown. "I don't think that's fair."

"Excuse me?" My eyebrows shot straight up.

"Nothing's changed for me. I... I want what you want."

I gulped. "Okay. I respect that. But I think we both need a little more time before we take things to the next level between us."

"No more kisses?" she asked.

"We'll see."


	17. Chapter 17

My Little Runaway

written by

Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Seventeen

_We'll see. _We'll see? What manner of moron was I? And the look on Bella's face when I said it – she looked crushed, like I had taken something very precious away from her. An uneasiness came over me. Hadn't I promised her that I'd see that nothing was ever taken from her again? Had I also not promised to cherish her, in good times and in bad?

I refused to be anything like her bastard father.

I straightened my glasses and marched around the table. I spun her chair to face me and leaned over her, bracing my hands on the table ledge beside her.

Her eyes couldn't open any wider as she tensed and stared up at me. She became short of breath as I leaned even closer.

"I am your husband," I said in a low voice. "But sometimes I am stupid. And if you want kisses, then I want to give them to you. And I'm sorry-"

Before I could finish, Bella's wide eyes locked on my lips and she closed the distance between us. Her breath tickled the lower half of my face before her soft lips pressed against mine. I groaned, relived, ecstatic, and turned on all at once.

I dropped to my knees and pulled her to my chest, kissing her with everything I had – hot and hard and wet. The feel of her responsive mouth on mine made me hungry for so many things. Her hair was warm and silky between my fingers, I wanted to bury my face in it. I wanted to kiss her on her neck, and lower, and all over.

She slid all the way off her chair and was straddling my lap, her knees pressed against my sides. And it was so very, very good. It was difficult to keep my hands trained on her back when all they wanted was to stroke her, pet her, and touch her. I knew I shouldn't. Not yet. I figured that it was best to trod gently through territory the neither of us had ever traversed.

But, why? Nothing was forbidden now. We could do as our bodies wished. And my body was wishing for activities it had been withheld from for so many years.

Bella seemed very willing at the moment. God knew I was willing. And Jasper did say that girls needed lots of love.

Tru barked, right in front of my face, and it scared the living daylights out of me. I hadn't even realized that we'd both gone to the floor, me hovering over Bella, so when I raised up, I slammed my head into the underside of the table.

Amidst the barking and my bellowing, I developed an awful, instant headache.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked, very concerned.

"Yeah..." I rubbed the back of my skull. "That'll teach me to kiss you under the kitchen table." Not to mention the fact that it just felt downright wrong making love to my wife in front of the dog.

"Come on." I got to my feet and helped Bella to hers. "We've got some moving to do."

When we'd brought all Bella's things downstairs, I had the distinct pleasure of watching our lives start to mesh. Her clothes now hung next to mine in our closet. I cleared out a few drawers in my bureau for her use. She put her pink toothbrush with my blue one on the bathroom counter.

Tru got underfoot as I watched her sort and fold – and a thought occurred to me. "Tru doesn't sleep in my bed."

"Okay," she said. "No dogs allowed in Edward's bed."

"Right. A Mr. and Mrs. Cullen zone only. All offenders will be ratted out to Animal Control."

A great many thoughts kept my mind occupied all through dinner and the evening news. That kiss. How young Bella was. How soft she was. How much I wanted her – but more than that – how much I wanted to protect her and keep her safe. Our impromptu marriage was serving several purposes. Bella no longer wanted to be associated with the name Swan. Sure, she could have changed her surname, but I knew I didn't want her to have any other last name but mine. It was selfish and presumptuous, but I knew in my heart that I needed Bella, and she needed me. And one day, everything was going to work out all right.

Bella had no one else in this world. Now, she had me. And after the weekend, she'll have met the rest of her new family.

God, be with me. I could only imagine my mother's reaction.

I chuckled as I went to brush my teeth, the door was cracked open, so I figured Bella was doing the same.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Bella was just getting out of my shower. The clear glass shower stall didn't hide anything.

"You're naked," I mumbled. _And wet all over and utterly lovely_, I added in my head.

She gasped when she realized I was there, and tried to cover herself. "Stop looking," she squealed.

My eyes were glued to her pale skin. Every bit of it they could see. "In a minute."

"Edward!" She finally whipped a downy towel off the bar and whirled it around herself. Her cheeks were tinged pink.

I shook my head, realizing I was staring, and snapped my eyes closed. I stepped out of the bathroom and shut the door, leaning against it. "Did I really just say, '_in a minute_?'"

"Yes. You did." I think I heard her laughing.

_Well, congrats, Ed, you've just done something Jasper-approved_. "Shit," I swore under my breath. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," I called to Bella through the door.

"No. It's not that," I heard her sigh. "You just... surprised me, is all. And I might be a little self-conscious about..."

"I'm not sorry about what I saw. Just making sure you know what I'm apologizing about."

"Oh," she said quietly.

I shook my head. Where was this saucy confidence coming from?

Bella opened the door to let me back in when she was dressed. She was toweling her damp hair dry. She blushed as she looked up at me. I did my best to keep my eyes on her face, and not to relive the moment I got to see her without anything covering her. The way the water beaded on her soft, round breasts, which were tipped with small rosy nipples. Or the dark patch of curls that stood out against her pale skin between her thighs.

She stood next to me at the double vanity in the bathroom as we brushed our teeth and completed our nightly routines. She had on a pink tank top and navy sweatpants. I had on my boxer shorts and a white T-shirt. I rubbed my fingers over the stubble growing on my jaws and wondered if Bella would like it or not. I typically saved shaving for in the mornings. I also kept sneaking looks at her out of the corner of my eye. Besides getting to see her naked earlier, it wasn't often Bella wore so few clothes around me. And I could also see how her hard nipples made impressions in the pink cotton.

I waited for Bella beside the bed, not really sure what I should do. I didn't want to jump in and look eager. I wasn't going to initiate anything sexual. I planned to keep to my side of the bed. But I was still nervous. This was a first for me, sharing a sleeping space with someone. A female someone. A female someone who happened to be my wife, and, by all rights and privileges afforded through the holy bonds of marriage, someone I could be totally and completely intimate with...

Tru was scratching to be let into the bedroom. Bella paused by the door. "I know he can't sleep on the bed, but can we at least let him in?"

I flattened my hands and spread them wide. "Dog-free zone."

Though I was firm in my resolve, my heart took a mighty hit when I laid eyes on the phenomenon of Bella's bottom lip pouting just slightly. _Uh-oh._

"Please?"

Yep. I was definitely a goner. I sighed. "Okay, but just for tonight."

Bella told Tru "No" when he eyed the bed. Tru snuffed around on the rug at the foot of the bed and finally lay down on it.

I slid under the covers. I'd left the bathroom light on so that it wasn't completely dark, in case Bella needed to see around during the night. I settled stiffly on the edge of the mattress. I felt Bella slide in as well. Eyes on the ceiling, I kept still and listened to her tucking the covers around herself, getting comfortable.

I pondered this situation. How many times had I fantasized about having a woman in my bed? And the woman in mine was very... young. I heaved a great sigh. Was I being fair about our ages? I was ten years older than she. Ten years of vastly different experiences. Ten years of growth and learning. Ten years of living.

But what had my last ten years consisted of? No dating, no great experiences. Mostly school and studies and work. Endless work.

I turned my head to look over at Bella. Her shadowy figure was curled into a ball facing me. What a precious feeling, having her so close. It would probably be very easy to reach over and touch her – claim her as my wife for all time.

Her hand landed on the center of my chest. I gasped. Small and delicate, her touch tingled all the way down to my sternum.

"Good night, Edward," she whispered.

I covered her hand with mine and held it. "Good night, Bella."

I fell asleep with her hand on my chest, my fingers threaded through hers – and a throbbing erection tenting my boxers.

The alarm clock jolted me awake the next morning. I wiped the drool off my face and threw my feet over the edge of the bed. Then I remembered Bella.

She was on the very far side of the bed, curled up like a cannonball, with the pillow covering her head. Her fingers were white-knuckled, digging into the pillow.

I reached over and gave her a gentle shake. Her fingers clenched around the pillow before she tossed it away. I reared back, somewhat shocked.

The look in her bloodshot eyes was distinctly hostile. "Bella, are you okay?"

Her eyes narrowed before she spoke. "I was scared to death because I thought an angry bear had got into the room last night. It took me a few minutes to realize that the most terrifying, inhuman noise I was hearing was coming out of your face. I had to get up and let Tru out. He didn't want to be in the same room with you. Do you have any idea how bad you snore? I didn't get any sleep last night, Edward."

"Oh," was all I could say. I'd forgotten to warn Bella about the snoring.

"I'll pick you up a box of earplugs while I'm out today."

Bella dropped back down on the bed. "I don't think I can get up right now."

"It's okay," I said. "You don't have to get up. Just..."

Bella was asleep before I could finish.

_Oops._ I knew I'd messed up. I tucked the comforter around Bella and tried to make as little noise as possible as I showered and shaved and dressed for work.

I left a note on the kitchen counter letting her know that I'd be home in plenty of time before my family arrived.

I said a prayer as I drove away from the house that the weekend would go well.


	18. Chapter 18

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Eighteen

After I'd left work and headed over to the Outdoor Sports and Tackle shop for an industrial sized box of earplugs for Bella, I got a call on my cell phone from Jasper.

"Just keep cool, brother," was Jasper's deep greeting over the line. "But you're being tailed."

"Excuse me? Tailed?"

"Yeah. That means you're being followed. But don't worry," his voice turned mysterious and conspiratorial. "I've got it all under control." Click.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it, then looked in my rear view mirror. Adjusted it to get a better view through the back windshield. I didn't see anyone behind me. I pulled out of the bait shop parking lot and drove home. Out on the highway, I finally spied the dull color of Jasper's black on black Ford pickup truck several cars behind me. Why in the world he was following me was beyond my comprehension, but something must have been up, since he was so hush, hush about it.

As I pulled into the drive, I was no longer able to keep my eyes on the road behind me, because Mom and Dad were already parked on my street. They were still in the process of pulling their bags out of the trunk of their car. A small woman, whom I vaguely remembered, with short black hair and an elfin face was helping Mom with her bags.

So Mom hadn't been bluffing. She'd invited Alice Brandon along for the weekend. I grumbled under my breath. Just fucking perfect.

I parked in the garage and grabbed the bag from the bait shop. As I stepped out of the garage and left the wide door raised, Emmett and Rosalie pulled up behind Dad's car. I chuckled when I watched Emmett squeeze his 6'4" frame from the bowels of Rosalie's tiny red Miata.

Rose and Emmett were both teachers at the same high school we Cullen boys had attended growing up. He taught U.S. and World History and coached football. Rose was probably the prettiest English teacher high school students, anywhere, had ever seen. I suppose it could be said that she had the look of a naughty librarian about her. Emmett and Rosalie were mad about each other.

"Edward! Honey! Oh, it's so good to see you." Mom pulled me in for a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. She had on flowery beach gear and flip flops.

"Hi, Mom. Looks like you're ready for some sand and sun." I reached down and grabbed the handle of her bag.

Dad was pulling a beach umbrella out of the trunk. He also had on swimming trunks. His white, white legs were blinding in the light of day. "Hey, Dad. Don't strain yourself with that. Let Emmett help you."

"Just because a man turns sixty, doesn't automatically make him an invalid. I can get the damned umbrella myself," Carlisle grumbled.

Okay, then. I raised my eyebrows at Mom and gave her an expression that clearly said, "What's that all about?" She patted my chest and said, "He needs a little break. He'll be fine." Her eyes found Alice on the other side of the car. Her direct gaze at the small woman drew my attention.

"Edward, you remember Alice Brandon," Mom began.

"Hi, Edward," Alice greeted. "Thanks for inviting me." She gave me a cute smile.

_Inviting her?_ Confused, I turned to give my mother a pointed glare. She just smiled beatifically and gave an enthusiastic little nod.

"Uhhh… Yes. Well, we're happy to have you, Alice." Oh, joy of joys. Esme and I were going to have a serious chat later. What an awkward position. But that wasn't going to keep me from being polite. I didn't want to give my mother more fuel for later on, when shit hit the fan.

Dad pulled me aside and gave me a half hug and a slap on the back. "Do you have that new crime thriller? That's what I want for Father's Day – to sit down and read a whole book, uninterrupted."

"That's an awful big dream, Dad," I said while grinning.

I watched Emmett and Rosalie pile their belongings out of the small car, and I remembered that Jasper had been behind me on the drive home. I checked the road, but he hadn't stopped. Huh. Jasper did weird things, sometimes. I often wondered if the Army was doing some top secret experimentation on him.

I greeted Emmett and Rosalie and invited everyone into the house. I took a deep breath and thought about Bella. I was on the verge of a, sort of, nervous breakdown. I hoped her mental state was faring better than my own.

She was not waiting for us in the great room.

"My, Edward. Look how clean everything is. You've been busy," Mom observed.

_Bella_ had been busy. Not that things hadn't been tidy before Bella, but it seemed she'd put an extra spit-shine on everything in the house. I just nodded, fearing my wide-eyed look would give everything away. I raced up the stairs and put Mom's stuff down just inside her bedroom.

Bella had even put a scented candle on the nightstand. Shit. Mom was gonna know I didn't do that. I never troubled with things like scented candles, no matter how many she left for my use.

I told Emmett and Rosalie and Alice to sort out how they wanted to bunk for the weekend and I went back downstairs. Bella wasn't in the kitchen, and I still hadn't seen Tru. I checked my bedroom next.

Bella was huddled on our bed, cross-legged, nervous, and hiding. I closed the door behind me.

Tru was circling my feet. He kept huffing, growling, and looking at the door. He knew there were intruders in the house.

"I'm scared," Bella whispered from her spot at the end of the bed.

I took a deep breath and let it out. "It's just my family. They're very nice. They're just regular people." I sunk down in front of her to see into her scared brown eyes.

"Yeah, but you're going to get into trouble because of me."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Bella, I'm a grown man. I handle my own trouble. And… You're not trouble. You're my wife."

"When are we going to tell them?"

I nodded in thought. "Let's wait until Jasper gets here, too. I can introduce you as my… friend? Girlfriend?"

"I don't know. It sounds like lying to me."

I grinned. "There's my Bella, full of fire and spirit."

Bella's countenance changed slowly from scared to shyly confident. A hint of a grin played at her mouth. "Your Bella?"

"Yes."

She leaned down and kissed me. Sweet and light and wonderful.

"Edward! Where's my surfboard?" Emmett shouted from the great room.

I pulled back from Bella and sighed. "Are you ready for this?"

She nodded, and I took her hand, which latched tightly on to mine, and led her out to meet my family.

Emmett stood at the foot of the stairs and stared at us with his mouth hanging open. It could have been from the shock of seeing me bring a woman out of my bedroom. I'm not sure. Mom stopped her puttering in the kitchen, Alice was with her. Dad was thrown back in the recliner, snoozing, already. It didn't take long for him to find a semi-comfortable spot and immediately fall asleep.

No one was smiling, except for Rosalie. I took a few seconds to relish the polite confusion of my Mom's expression. Alice's eyes kept flying between myself and my mother.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Bella."

I squeezed her hand as my family came closer and introduced themselves. Mom and Alice were looking very confused but had their forced smiles in place. Dad snored himself awake, shouting, "These potatoes need sutures!"

Emmett started laughing uproariously, and said, "That was a good one, Pops. Come here and meet Bella. The mysterious woman from Edward's bedroom."

Carlisle shoved the footrest down and came to his pasty, white feet. He took a look at Bella and turned toward Emmett, pointing. "_She_ came out of his bedroom?"

Emmett's smile was huge. "Yeah."

Dad pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows as he nodded once. "Nice to meet you, Bella."

Mom finally piped up. "Yes, I didn't know Edward had company this weekend." She glared at me. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I tried."

Tru was making his rounds, sniffing everyone's ankles. It was the only sound in the awkward silence.

"So," Emmett began. "How about that surfboard? Thought I would try and catch a few waves this afternoon. And then take Rosalie out after dark for a naked romp on the beach." He bounced his dark eyebrows up and down before Rosalie whacked him on the back of his head. "Hey!" he grumbled, looking at Rosalie. "It was your suggestion."

I let out a breath as the tension in the room eased up. "Yeah, I think it's in the garage." Everyone began to get ready for the beach. Rosalie came forward and asked Bella if she wanted to join them.

"Um, yeah. I'll just get changed." Bella retreated back into my bedroom, leaving me to face Mom, Dad, Alice and Rosalie by myself.

I watched mom mouth, "_Who is that?_" as she jabbed her finger at the closed bedroom door.

Mom looked very surprised and very… surprised. And maybe a little pissed. Rosalie recognized the potential of the moment and whisked Alice away from the great room. Once they left, I nodded for them to follow me to the deck outside.

_Here we go_, I thought. Moment of truth.

"Who was that?" Mom asked as soon as we reached the deck. She was working herself up to boiling.

I met her square on. "That's Bella. She's very important to me, so please be kind to her."

"Well, does she live around here?"

I paused for a second. "Yes."

"She looks very young, Edward."

I snorted. "Yes," I agreed. "She looks very young."

"You were holding hands with her. How special is she? Where does she come from?"

"Just give it some time, Mom. You'll get to know her. She's beautiful and sweet and smart. She plays the piano. And Tru likes her better than he likes me."

"You've put me in a very awkward position with Alice, now. I hope you know that."

Of all the... "Mom! It is _you_ who has put _me_ in the awkward position. You told Alice that I _invited_ her." My voice rose in pitch and force. I don't believe I've ever spoken to my mother in such a way.

"Don't you put that on me. You never told me you would have a woman here. And she is in your bedroom, for heaven's sake. What are the rest of us supposed to think? Carlisle! Say something to your son!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at my mother.

"Well, Esme, darling..."

About that time, I heard Tru kicking up a loud fuss in the house, and that turned my attention away from mom and dad. He had come out of the bedroom and was pacing around the foyer, sounding very upset.

I left mom and dad arguing on the deck and went to see what was wrong. Tru usually hung out with Bella all the time. But I couldn't find Bella, and Tru was looking right at me as he barked his displeasure.

"What's the matter, boy? Where's Bella?"

I even checked upstairs with Alice and Rosalie. No Bella.

"Did anyone see her leave?"

Everyone had gathered downstairs, Tru was still unhappy.

Before anyone spoke, my cell phone rang.

It was Jasper. I remembered his weird behavior from earlier, so I didn't know what to expect with this call.

"Ed, I want you to keep calm. As soon as you hang up with me, I want you to call 911 and tell the cops to meet us at the parking lot beside the Dairy Queen. He's got her, Ed. Charlie Swan has Bella."


	19. Chapter 19

"Oh, God. _What? How?_"

"No time. I can't take my eyes off the road. Had you on speed dial. Call the cops. Then come find me. Do it now." The line went dead.

I began to shake, and the numbers on my phone were difficult to find. I dialed the simplest, scariest phone number I'd ever had to dial.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My wife has been kidnapped." I spoke as calmly as possible when I was feeling anything but calm. I vaguely heard the room around me erupt with voices. My mother was screeching something. Dad was trying to shut her up. I heard loud exclamations from Emmett. So much for telling them about Bella in a rational way.

"Can you please send someone to the Dairy Queen on West Fort Macon Road? My wife may be there with her kidnapper. She could be hurt. Please hurry. I'm on my way there now."

The dispatcher had me stay on the line, but Dad grabbed my arm and led me out to his car. I was very thankful for my Dad's cool head. I couldn't even remember where my keys were, much less my car.

I vaguely heard the dispatcher tell me that she had squad cars on the way to the location, and that she had a lock on my phone, and it was okay to hang up. Dad was speeding. Cars and trees blurred by the windows. It seemed to take forever to get to the parking lot Jasper had indicated. I didn't blink, looking for his black truck.

When we finally did reach the Dairy Queen, I could tell there had been a wreck. The traffic ahead of us was in chaos.

Jasper's black truck was sitting nearly on top of the hood of another small pickup truck. The front right tire was propped in the middle of the hood, throwing Jasper's truck at a steep angle. It looked like something from a Monster Truck Rally – like Jasper had tried to climb the other truck.

Other cars had parked in our way; people were getting out of their vehicles to stare at the wreckage. Dad pulled over as far as he could off the road and we both jumped out. My heart had already skipped several beats in the past ten minutes. The thought of Bella being hurt or crushed or... worse, caused my heart to pound out of control.

As we ran for the wrecked cars, I spotted Jasper holding someone down. He had the other man's face smashed into the hood of the small pickup. The man was Charlie Swan.

Charlie was spitting and cursing. I frantically began searching for Bella.

"Jasper! Where is she?"

Jasper's head whipped to the side when he heard my voice. "Look inside. Floorboard, passenger side."

I flung the passenger door open and nearly burst into tears. Bella had been crammed into the space between the bench seat and the dash. Her hands were zip-tied behind her back. She didn't have a shirt on, only a bra. Her jeans were ripped. I leaned over and saw her face. Her eyes were open wide and tears were pouring. A strip of duct tape had been cruelly mashed across her face, over her mouth and hair.

"Bella! Bella, I'm here. I'm going to get you out. Hold on."

The zip-ties were slicing in to the skin at her wrists, and I didn't have anything to cut them off with. I still had my suit coat on. I ripped it off and laid it over Bella. I steadied myself on the door of the truck with a white-knuckled grip and sought out my father as I stood on my toes.

"Dad!" I waved wildly to get his attention. "I need something to cut this!"

Carlisle nudged me aside and took stock of the situation. "Dad, she may be hurt. I've got to get her out." He nodded and left.

I was able to pick Bella up and put her on the bench seat of her father's truck. As soon as our eyes locked, her face crumpled and she began to sob. There were bruises already forming on her face. Her head was bleeding as well. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry." I wanted to take the duct tape off her mouth, but I didn't know how to do it without hurting her even more. It was going to tear her skin and her hair.

I just put my arms around her and held her. Dad finally tapped me on the shoulder and I moved aside so he could work. I still held Bella upright. He cut the plastic ties that held her wrists together. She whimpered as her arms came apart. Dad then started working on the tape, calm and patient. He had to cut a few strands of Bella's long hair to get everything loose, but there was still no pain-free way to remove it. Dad finally tugged the last of the tape away from her lips as an ambulance arrived at the scene.

"Bella? Are you hurt anywhere else? You remember my Dad's a doctor… He'll help you."

Bella stretched her arms a little, then wrapped them around her half-naked torso. "I think I'm okay," she croaked, her voice thick with tears. "Just sore. My head hurts." She moved her arms like she didn't know what to do with them.

Carlisle ran his fingers over her head and checked the wound where the blood had come from. "There are no bumps. Just a small scratch. Her head may have hit something sharp under the dash on impact. I don't see any signs of major trauma. We'll have the EMTs treat her."

I nodded and slipped my jacket over Bella's shoulders. She put her arms through and I rolled the sleeves past her wrists. I wanted to caress my thumbs over the marks the ties had left behind, but I was afraid I'd hurt her.

"I didn't keep you safe."

Her little hand took hold of my thumb and she pressed her face into my chest. "I didn't know if I would ever see you again," she whispered and shook.

I put my arms gently around her and held her.

The EMT finally had me move away from Bella so he could check her vitals and condition. I took a moment to observe my surroundings. The police had also arrived, and were diverting traffic through one open lane on the highway. Jasper was talking with an officer, explaining what had happened and he had a clipboard in his hand, writing out his statement. Mom and Emmett had also joined the mob around the scene, standing off to the side.

My eyes finally landed on Charlie Swan. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was being handed into the back of a squad car. Blue lights were flashing above him as he seated himself and the officer slammed the door, closing Charlie Swan off from my view.

It would do no good to go up to that car and open the door and get in Charlie's face. Perhaps punch it and bloody my knuckles. See how he looked with bruises. But I couldn't do that. It would only cause strife. And Bella needed me.

An officer approached to take Bella's statement. He jotted down notes as she spoke.

"It happened so fast." We all had to lean in to hear her. "I was in the bathroom getting changed. He came inside. Just walked in the door, like it was something he'd done every day. I thought it was Edward." Her big brown eyes looked up and found mine. She pointed at me for the officer's benefit. "Edward's m-my husband."

The officer looked at me. I nodded. "Edward Cullen," I supplied. Then he continued with his notes while I tried to wrap my mind around the audacity it took for Charlie to just walk into my house in the middle of the day and take Bella without her consent. And without me knowing.

"He taped my mouth and tied my hands." She began to cry again. "I couldn't even scream. No one even noticed when he carried me outside, right through the front door. And out onto the street where he'd parked, out of view from the house. He didn't talk. He didn't say why he was doing this. I was so scared. More scared than I've ever been in my life."

The officer scribbled a few more lines then nodded. "That lines up with the story I've gotten from Sergeant Cullen. We'll contact you if we need anymore information, Mrs. Cullen."

"Wait," I called to the officer. "I have more evidence against Charlie Swan."

He pocketed his notepad into his uniform shirt. "Come down to the station and file a report."

The EMT finished his assessment and determined that Bella's injuries weren't serious enough to warrant a hospital visit. I picked her up and held her in my arms.

"I can walk," she whispered.

I leaned close and rested my lips against the side of her head. "There's glass. You're barefoot. And I want to carry you. So relax."

Dad patted me on the shoulder and strode ahead to where Mom and Emmett were standing.

Emmett spoke up first. "Jasper had to call a wrecker service. His truck will need repairs. I'll bet he broke that front axle."

"He'll need a ride home," I observed as two different flashing wreckers pulled up to the scene. Now that I could look at it without worrying where Bella was, I could see that Charlie's smaller truck was smashed up, the front end flattened a bit underneath Jasper's truck. "How in the world did he manage to do that?" I asked.

"I'm sure we'll hear all about it tonight," Dad said.

"I have to go down to the station and file a report against Charlie."

"Who's Charlie?" Dad asked. Mom and Emmett were looking at me in question as well.

I held Bella tighter and her arms wound tighter around my neck. I looked down into her eyes. She closed them and nodded sadly before resting her head on my chest. "Charlie Swan is Bella's father."

**.**

I returned home later that night, and I was starving. I'd filed my reports on behalf of Bella; I'd given the police all the evidence I'd collected. Charlie's fate was now in the hands of Cape Carteret's finest.

My family and Alice were all still up and gathered in the kitchen. Bella was not with them. Jasper was busy telling his side of the story as he ate one of mom's sandwiches.

"She's in the bedroom," Mom said quietly as she placed a sandwich in front of me. I squeezed her hand in thanks. She still had that wounded look about her. Had the news of my marriage to Bella really hurt her that badly?

"I've been following Charlie around for a few weeks now. Dude's messed up. I knew something was going on today when he got in his truck and started driving. When I called you, Edward, that was when I was certain what was happening. Charlie staked out across the street from your law office. He laid in wait and followed you when you left this afternoon. He followed you all the way home, and that's when he circled back around and watched for everyone to go inside. I kept my distance and I guess he went into the house as I was coming back up the road out here. Son of a bitch has bigger balls than an ox. I watched him bundle Bella into his truck. That's when I called you again. I knew I had to catch Charlie before he got into town, otherwise, he'd have been gone to God knows where." Jasper took a few huge bites of his sandwich until his attention was drawn up and across the kitchen.

"Who are you?" he asked, shifting the food around in his mouth.

I looked up and saw that he was addressing Alice. Her cheeks blossomed red.

"That's my friend, Alice Brandon," Esme said. "She's joining us for the weekend."

"Well," Jasper began as he scooped up his glass of iced tea and propped his beefy arm on the counter before taking a sip. "It sure is nice to meet you, Alice Brandon."

"What happened then?" Emmett jumped in. "How in hell did you get your truck on top of his?"

Without taking his eyes off Alice, he said, "Oh, you know. Just throwing myself into the path of danger, saving the day. And the girl." Jasper then winked at Alice.

Amid a chorus of groans and snorts, Jasper raised his hands, crunching on an ice cube between his molars. "Truth. All truth," he boasted.

"It looked like you just tried to drive over the front of that little pickup like it was a small hill," Emmett said.

Jasper shrugged. "Seemed like the easiest thing to do. We were stopped, waiting on someone who was turning up ahead. I took my chance. Burned a little rubber, spun a circle in the other lane, gunned it over his hood. That's why I like big wheels."

"That is insane, brother," Emmett whistled.

"Yeah." Jasper leaned back in his chair. "Got a ticket for it, too."

I glanced up at Jasper. "I'll take care of that ticket for you."

"A lawyer for a brother," Jasper said. "I like that."

"It's the least I could do," I murmured. Jasper had done more for me than I could repay.

We all turned quiet for a minute before Jasper looked around at everyone again. "So is Bella okay?"

Rosalie spoke. "She was shaken up pretty bad. Alice and I helped her get cleaned up when she got back. She said she'd wait up for you, Edward."

Jasper grabbed the skin on the back of my neck and shook it. "A little boyfriend girlfriend time coming up, eh?" He grinned at me.

I slapped Jasper's hand away. "She's not my girlfriend."

Jasper stilled and stared at me, instantly frowning. There was a glint in his eye when he said, "You sorry sack of shit. You still haven't made a move on that girl?"

"I've made a move." I looked down, avoiding everyone's eyes. "I married her."

"You're shitting me," Jasper said quietly.

"No. I'm not. We wanted to tell you all together, all at one time. I'm sorry if I shocked you earlier. Bella and I didn't want any fuss or ceremony."

Jasper slapped me on the back and laughed. "Damn, brother. I didn't know you were gonna jump into the deep end right after learning how to swim. That's a surprise. But you have my congratulations."

"Thanks," I replied.

"Since we're making announcements..." We all turned our attention to Emmett, who pulled Rosalie to his side. "We finally set a date. Next month."

Jasper and I both grinned. "About damn time," Jasper quipped.

Mom and Dad weren't surprised by Emmett's announcement. I guess they already knew their plans.

"We'd like for you both to be in the ceremony," Rosalie directed at Jasper and me.

"Yeah, you've got to be co-best men." Emmett's grin was wide.

"We'll be there," Jasper answered, and I nodded in confirmation.

I soon bid my family good night because I was anxious to see Bella. I slowly opened the door to my room and looked to the bed. I nearly laughed when I saw that Tru was proudly sitting, curled up close to Bella. His little ears were on high alert. He snorted loudly when he finally deemed me friend and not foe.

"I broke your rule," Bella croaked without raising her head.

"I'm not worried about it, sweetheart." I sat and shooed Tru out of the way. I wanted to be next to my wife, and Tru had already had his turn. I laid down next to her and put my arm around her. She was bundled up under the fluffy comforter.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay." She adjusted her bandaged wrists under her cheek. Her big eyes took on an ominous look, like storm clouds were rolling through. "I told them everything."

I sucked in a slow breath, let it out in a rush. I tenderly smoothed a few strands of hair off her forehead, sliding my fingertips behind the delicate shell of her ear. "My brave, brave little runaway."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Do you love me? Even after everything that's happened, do you love me?"

My heart ka-thumped so hard in my chest, it felt like the bed bounced beneath us. After all this time, I still hadn't told her... "Bella..."

"I wasn't brave until I asked you that question," she whispered.

I leaned in to make sure I had her full attention. "In this, you should never be afraid. I always have, and always will, love you."


	20. Chapter 20

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Twenty

We slept through the night without so much as twitching. The previous day's events had worn us out. I awoke to the bright dawn of Saturday morning, and to the strong need for coffee. Bella was still snoozing on her side. I could see the tip of a pink and yellow earplug just sticking out of her ear. I grinned as I dressed and left her to sleep. She needed it.

Alice was in the kitchen, seated at the island bar. I hesitated, unsure of what to say to her. But Tru charged forward, scratching at the back door to be let out. Alice looked up at me and gave me a little smile.

"Good morning," I said to her.

"Morning, Edward." She stirred her mug of coffee. "How is... everything?" she asked.

"Okay," I responded and let Tru out into the side yard. "I hope," I finished.

I grabbed a mug and poured a coffee for myself, deciding to just spit out an apology to Alice. I didn't want there to be any more weird mistakes this weekend. I turned and sat my coffee down across from her.

"I'm very sorry—"

"I'm awfully sorry for—" We both spoke at the same time.

"Excuse me, Alice, let me just say this, before there are any more misunderstandings. I'm very happy to have you as a guest in my home. Never doubt that. But... I didn't personally invite you, as my mother seemed to insinuate yesterday."

"I know," she said. "I figured it out for myself after, you know, you introduced Bella to everyone."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Good. I am sorry, though, for the misunderstanding."

"Me too. I don't do awkward well." She frowned down at her mug.

"I wanted to thank you for helping Bella last night, too. That was very kind of you."

"Oh, she's been through so much. I cried when she told us her story last night. God. But everything's all right now. Isn't it?"

I nodded. "I'll make it right. And I need to have words with Mom today."

"Just... take it easy on Esme, all right? Her heart was in the right place. And judging from all the excitement last night, I think you simultaneously surprised and scared the hell out of her."

I snorted. "Yeah, well. It was just one of those kinds of days."

"We would have made beautiful babies together."

I choked on the huge gulp of coffee I'd chosen at that unfortunate moment to swallow. My eyes bulged as I sputtered and tried to breathe. "Pardon?" I coughed repeatedly.

Alice just grinned and waved away my question.

Jasper came in off the front deck, sweating and shirtless, from his morning run. His eyes lit up when he spotted Alice in the kitchen. He stopped behind her, hands on his hips, legs splayed wide, and said, "Bright and beautiful, morning or night."

Alice whipped around and narrowed her eyes at Jasper.

"Mmmm," Jasper murmured. "At ease, soldier."

"What did you just say to me?" she squeaked.

"Wasn't addressing you," he replied as he kept his eyes trained on Alice.

I stared wide-eyed at the both of them. Did Jasper pull this shit with every woman he came in contact with? How the hell did he get away with it?

"Don't let him talk to you like that, Alice."

Alice sputtered at Jasper. "You... What kind of... I can't believe..."

Jasper's lips slid into a lazy grin. "Let me help you with that. You and I would be extremely hot together. All kinds; every kind of kinky, panty melting sex you could ever fantasize about. You'd better believe that you just found what you been looking for."

"Nuh-uh," Alice and I both said at the same time, though there was a difference in how we said it. Mine spawned from disbelief. Alice's seemed to be born from awe.

"Don't you have somewhere else you need to be, Edward?"

I frowned at Jasper. "This is my house!"

"Bro. You owe me." Jasper clucked his tongue and flicked his head to shoo me out of the room.

"Fine." I took my coffee and started walking. Then I turned back to Alice. "Do not go gentle. Give him hell."

Bella was waking up when I got back to the bedroom. "Morning, sweetheart." I sat down beside her and gave her a hug. She sighed and her breath rushed warmly over my neck.

"So how are you?" I asked her. "How are you holding up after everything that's happened?"

She pulled away and gazed up at me. She raised her hand and her little thumb traced the edge of my cheekbone. "If you hadn't come after me, I wouldn't be fine. But that didn't happen. I'm more than okay." She started to smile.

I lowered my head and began kissing her all over her face. Slow and easy. She was safe and sound and home and in my arms. "I'll do everything I can to keep Charlie behind bars for a long time."

Bella shrugged at my words.

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe that you'll try. And I love you for it."

"Hm. Should I be offended by your lack of confidence in me?"

"No. It's not that I don't think you can do it. I just think Charlie will find a way around anything you try to do. That's the way it's always worked with him."

"Well, Charlie Swan is in my territory, now."

Her eyes told me that she still believed Charlie was a threat to her. "Bella, you'll see. I've got him right where I want him."

"Okay," she whispered. I watched as she struggled a bit to get out of the bed. She winced when she used her arm to push herself up. She was still in pain from yesterday's ordeal.

"Do you need any help?" I asked her.

"No. I just need to go to the bathroom."

When she came back, I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk or get some breakfast.

"Walk," she said. "Tru's probably waiting for me." She reached up to pull her hair back, but her arms were too sore to follow through.

"Here," I said. "Let me do that for you." She handed me an elastic cloth band. I'd seen women put their hair up in ponytails before, but it was a skill I absolutely did not possess. Bella's turned out lumpy and lopsided.

"Hm. Hair and makeup may not be my department."

Bella grinned at me. "It's fine."

"Do you, um, want some help getting dressed?"

Her eyes calmly found mine. "Yeah. I'll probably need your help."

I don't know why I was so nervous as I fished around in Bella's drawers, picking items that she said yes or no to. I swallowed hard when I held up a clean pair of light blue cotton panties and a white bra.

"Okay," I said as I turned back to the bed and laid her clothes there. "What do you want me to do?"

Bella played with the hem of her tank top before she pulled it up and slipped it slowly over her head without hurting her arms. She dropped it on the bed. I stared at her bared breasts. Would it always be such a pleasant shock to see her naked like this?

She covered herself, looking embarrassed. That's when her bandaged wrists came into focus. I also began to notice small bruises that had bloomed across her body. All Charlie's doing. I reached out and gently brushed my fingers over a few of them. I was dismayed when Bella let out tiny gasps at my touch.

"Are they painful?" I asked. My voice was thick with emotion.

She let out a breath she seemed to be holding in. She shook her head slowly. "No."

"Oh." I snatched my hand back and looked to the pile of clothes on the bed. "So what's next? The bra, I guess?"

Bella picked it up and slid the shoulder straps over her arms. "I can't hook it in the back. That's where I'll need your help."

She turned around and offered her back to me. There were a few bruises there, too. I leaned in close to get an idea how the back of the bra worked. The contraption had microscopic hooks and loops sewed into the ends. I hooked the ends together and stood back.

"That doesn't look right. Why doesn't that look right?"

Bella felt around her sides. She laughed. "You got it twisted. Unhook it and try again."

I frowned. "You've got to be some kind of midget baby dwarf with tiny little fingers to get this thing undone."

Bella laughed harder. "Just push the ends together."

I did as she instructed, surprised when it worked. "Ah. That's... simple enough." I ran my hands under her arms, all the way to her breasts to make sure I had the straps twisted the right way. Bella bent over in a fit of giggles.

"What? What's the matter?"

"That tickles. So bad."

"Sorry." I moved slower the next time, letting my hands linger and warm against her flesh. It was a sublime pleasure. I let my nose touch the top of her head, and I breathed her in. When everything was back in place, Bella took her fresh shirt off the bed and put her arms through the holes. I helped her pull it the rest of the way over her head.

"I think I can get the rest by myself," she said.

"No." I sat down on the bed in front of her. "Let me."

Bella let out a shaky breath. I was a little lower than eye-level with her now. My fingers tangled with hers when she hooked her thumbs on her panties. Our eyes met. "Let me," I said again.

I curled my fingers around the elastic band and slowly tugged them down. The softness of her thighs slid against the backs of my fingers. Bella braced a hand on my shoulder when she moved to step out of her underwear. Maybe I was being stupid for thinking this was a good idea, helping her with a task she could probably do herself. But my eyes were riveted on the soft patch of dark brown curls that covered her womanhood. _Very good idea_, my mind countered.

A thought occurred to me then. How would I be able to please her? I had no clue what to do to make it good for her, only basic knowledge. I knew sex was going to feel fantastic for me, but what about Bella?

I was instantly dismayed by these thoughts.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she whispered.

"Because you're..." I looked away and arranged her clean underwear so she could step in them right side out. I swallowed hard and tried to get back on task. "You're pretty to look at."

"Why?"

I chuckled softly. Her small feet went into the leg holes and I slid the blue panties up. My fingers trailed up the backs of her legs this time, over her round little butt. Her fingertips clutched at my shoulder, and I looked up to see that she'd closed her eyes. Her lips were parted and her breathing had accelerated.

I made sure everything was in place, but then I hesitated. I let my hands rest on her waist, just above her hipbones. Bella was small, and my hands almost spanned the whole width of her hips. I knew I'd always have to be careful with her. My thumbs idly caressed the softness of her belly, just over the waistband of her panties. Her eyes stayed closed. I moved my hands lower.

I shifted to my knuckles and drug the backs of them over her mound. Her hips shifted, her fingers dug into my back. She let out a light whimper. I caressed her again, emboldened by her response.

This time, her other hand went into my hair, and she started pulling on it. I cupped her with my whole hand and began touching her in earnest. I pressed my fingers into her cloth-covered folds and set a slow rhythm. She bucked her hips against my hand. I held on to the back of her thigh with my other hand and encouraged her movements.

"Edward," she breathed, and pressed her face into the top of my head. Her hot breath panted through my hair while she kept tugging on it. "Are you trying to make me—"

"Yes," I rumbled desperately. "I want to make you feel good." _I have to know that I can make you feel good_, I added silently.

Her hips started rolling dramatically and I felt hot dampness spreading over my fingers. Bella cried out softly and shoved herself hard against my fingertips. She moaned over and over in my ear – her fluid movements finally slowed, and she clamped her thighs tight on my hand. "No more," she whispered.

I took my hand away from her mound, noticing the silky wetness on my fingers. I put my arms around her and held her tight to my chest. Even I was breathing hard. I'd just had the most erotic experience of my life.

I kissed her neck and worked my way up to her lips. I kissed her there softly. "Did I do it right? It felt nice?"

She laughed and buried her face between my neck and shoulder. "Uh-huh. But now I need another pair of panties."

I laughed along with her. I helped her finish dressing, but noticed that our dynamic had now changed. There was a new awareness between us – deeply sexual and voraciously hungry.

Now the tricky part – how to hold back.

**Please help me out! My Little Runaway has been entered in The Lemonade Stand's pole this week, and it's up against some really good stories! You can go to their website, tehlemonadestand . net and vote! Thank you so much! **


	21. Chapter 21

I held on to Tru's leash for our morning walk on the beach. I suggested to Bella that it would be best if she let me or one of the others walk Tru while she was healing. She reluctantly agreed.

She sighed after taking in a huge breath of briny sea air. It sure did seem to smell sweeter to me. The day was sweeter for several different reasons.

The sun was on our faces as we headed back home. The deep blue sky was dotted with great fluffy clouds that rode the winds out to sea. It was an absolutely beautiful day with Bella at my side, her shoulder bumping my arm as we walked.

That new awareness between us made me tingle all over. The touching this morning in my bedroom had lit the fires of anticipation within me. I needed to find a way to bring all that fire back to a controlled smolder. But it was difficult, especially when Bella would cut her eyes at me, then bite back a smile and look away. I knew what she was thinking about. I couldn't stop thinking about it, myself.

The family was out on the beach when we reached my lot of sand. Emmett had Rosalie in the water, trying to get her to surf. Mom and Dad were lounging under their oversize umbrella. Jasper was... I shook my head. Jasper was chasing little Alice around in the waves, stalking her like a hungry shark.

"What has gotten into Jasper?" I asked.

Bella laughed and bumped my arm. "I think they're horsin' around." She looked up at me with a conspiratorial grin.

I put my arm around her and kissed her head, laughing, remembering our time at the fort. "I think you are right."

As we approached the deck, I said, "Why don't you relax out here, I'll go get some things from inside."

Bella reached for the end of Tru's leash. I shook my head. "Let him run loose. He'll stay close to you."

I ran to the house and grabbed some snacks and drinks, a blanket, and a huge umbrella from the garage. I also picked up Dad's gift - the crime thriller novel he'd been anticipating.

I set up our little beach camp a few yards from Mom and Dad. Bella was up the beach a ways, looking for shells. Tru had decided that Jasper's ankles needed nipping, and was chasing him through the water. Alice was bent over laughing at them.

Dad was napping under his umbrella. I laid the book on his chest. He immediately rose up at the slightest disturbance.

"Easy, Dad." I grinned.

Dad took a deep breath and relaxed. "Sorry," he said. "Habit."

I slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Happy Father's Day."

He held up the book and smiled. "Tell everyone that I'm busy for the next five hours." He left the beach for the house, to the comfort of the recliner.

Mom shook her head. "Sit down and talk with me for a minute, Edward."

I dropped down next to her, facing the ocean. I heard her sigh.

"I wish you had told me something. It would have saved us all so much embarrassment."

I shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were going to try so hard to set me up with someone."

She patted my knee. "I had no idea you'd met somebody, Edward. I was beginning to think you would never let yourself find that special someone."

I leaned back on my elbows and let out a pent up breath. There was no reason to stay mad at my mother. She had based her actions on existing evidence - that I was a loner who didn't socialize, therefore, would never find a woman on my own. But I had, which surprised everyone.

"What do you think of her?" My eyes sought out Bella, barefoot now, bending to dig something out of the sand.

"Oh, honey," Mom raised her hands and covered her cheeks. "I just want to grab her up and give her a great big hug. What that girl has been through... I can't help but love her."

I grinned to myself, thinking much the same thing. I couldn't help myself from loving Bella.

"Thank you," I said. "It means a lot to me that you can love her. I do."

"I am sorry for making things awkward for you, sweetie."

I laughed. "Um, I don't know if you've noticed, but your matchmaking attempt hasn't completely failed..."

Mom paused and sat up straight and finally realized what was happening before her very eyes. She pulled down her sunglasses and gaped. "But... But they're so different! She's educated and cultured, and Jasper... all he knows is the military. She's such a good girl, and even though he's my son and I'll love him no matter what, I _know_ he's not a good boy." Mom shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't think Alice is the least bit ashamed of the sheer speed in which Jasper brought her over to the dark side."

"I just don't know if I can take anymore surprises this weekend, Edward." Mom paused and gasped. I looked up in time to see her eyes fly to Bella. "Is she pregnant? Is that why you married her so quickly? Am I going to be a grandmother?"

"No! Mom, calm down. Don't you think Bella would have told you that last night? We haven't even, I mean, don't you think I'd be more responsible than that?" I turned my face away from her, embarrassed at almost admitting that Bella and I hadn't even had sex yet.

Mom put her hand over her heart. "Oh, well. One day soon, then. That's some news that I wouldn't mind hearing. Oh, grandbabies," she finished in a wistful tone.

I looked out at the waves and pulled a face. Babies. I was a long way from thinking about babies. I'd not even experienced the baby making process yet. And it was something I hadn't spoken to Bella about. I didn't know if she wanted children.

I didn't want to encourage Mom along this line of conversation, so I said, "I'm going to catch up with Bella. She hasn't had breakfast yet." I gave her a hug and took off after Bella. She was already on her way back to me. She drew near me with a smile and I captured her lips in a kiss, impulsively, naturally. Tru circled around our feet.

"Come on, I brought a few things to eat." I pulled Bella over to the blanket under our beach umbrella. We ate and talked, mostly about her upcoming college classes.

"I'm kind of nervous about it," she said.

"You're going to have a wonderful time. You'll be meeting so many new people and making friends." I was on my side, propped up on an elbow looking down at Bella. She was on her back, looking up at the sky. I frowned as I thought about something new. "You'll probably gain a few admirers."

Her brown eyes found mine, a worry line between her brows. "Admirers?"

"Boys," I whispered.

She rolled her eyes. "Stop it. I'll just flash them this." She waved her left ring finger at me, silver wedding band glinting in the sunlight.

My grin faded as I went deeper into thought. "I can't help but wonder if I've done you a great disservice."

"What do you mean?"

"There are other... fish in the sea."

"I'm not very fond of fish," Bella said, crinkling her nose.

"No. I mean to say that you're very young and you could have made different choices if I hadn't been standing in your way."

"So... if there are other fish in the sea, what does that make you?"

"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"Yes, I understand, Edward. What I don't understand is what kind of fish you think you are." She tilted her head to the side and waited.

"I don't know. Aren't lawyers often referred to as sharks?" I joked.

Bella was quiet as she studied me. She finally nodded. "Biggest, baddest predator in the water. Why would I want to go looking for another little fish?"

I snorted. "Do you think you'll be happy with an old shark for the rest of your life?"

"Not unless that old shark is a good kisser."

I smiled, feeling utterly delighted with my sweet wife. "He's not had lots of practice." I scooted closer to Bella, leaning down.

She sighed as our lips met and explored. I savored the tender plumpness of her bottom lip, and the way the tip of her tongue hesitantly licked at my top lip.

Bella pulled back after a few minutes, pushing her hand against my chest. She had that little crease between her eyebrows again. I tried to smooth it with the tip of my finger. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "Edward, I need to ask you something."

"You know you can talk to me about anything."

"Yeah," she grinned. She rolled toward me, turning on to her stomach. I leaned back to give her room. Her hair tumbled down between us. I reached for the silky strands and combed them away so I could see her face.

"Have I ever told you that I love your hair?" I asked her in a quiet voice.

She looked down to the blanket and laughed as she smoothed her hair back behind her ear. "Don't distract me. I'm trying to begin this very serious conversation."

I nodded, giving her my full attention. "I'm all ears."

Her smile widened before it waned. "This morning, in the bedroom," she began.

I stilled, remembering exactly what I did, how I touched her body, how she responded, and that she'd found pleasure. "Yes?" I whispered.

"And the other night. You've seen me, naked, a couple of times. When do I," she paused, took a deep breath, "get to see you naked?"

"Now," I said immediately. I blinked. Bella was grinning. "No. That sounded a little over-eager. Um... You can see me naked anytime." I looked down at the blanket and laughed. My body was buzzing with all sorts of sensations. "But I think we should wait for anything further. You should heal up first." I ran a finger over one of her bandaged wrists.

Bella caught my hand with hers and held on to it. "Okay," she said. "I can wait."

Later that evening, after a day spent laughing and playing on the beach, Mom brought out a birthday cake with large number candles, three-zero, sitting on top of it. The whole family was gathered in the kitchen.

They sang Happy Birthday to me. I frowned when Jasper put a birthday hat on my head that had "Birthday Boy" printed on it.

"Oh, come on," I said, reaching to pull the hat off. Mom was snapping pictures with her digital camera.

"Wear it, you great big idiot. Appease the womenfolk." Jasper put a coned hat on as well. It sat almost straight out from his forehead.

"You look like a unicorn," I told him.

Bella had her hands cupped over her mouth, laughing away. It did my heart so much good to see her happy.

Jasper ignored me and said, "You know, I'm gonna need a date for Emmett's wedding next month." His eyes were on Alice the whole time while he bounced his eyebrows up and down.

Alice sunk her fork into a piece of birthday cake. She cocked a darkly arched brow as she glanced up at Jasper. "You'll be looking long and hard for a woman who'll agree to go with you, soldja boy." She took a bite of the chocolate confection, her challenge clear.

"Full of sass and spit, aren't ya," Jasper murmured.

My other brother caught my attention when I saw him reach for Rosalie's backside. He got his hand slapped away. Both of them seemed to be striking out at the moment.

"Hey," I called to Emmett. "No inappropriate butt grabbing."

"What," he countered. "You feeling left out?" Emmett reached out and grabbed my butt.

"Hey! Shit. Don't do that. Only Bella has permission to do that." I pulled Bella close; she was blushing.

Dad made an exclamation from the recliner as he finished up the last page of his book. "What a ridiculous ending. Esme, I'll have ice cream with my cake, dear."

When Mom finished making Dad's plate, I took it to him. It had been a while since I'd spent some time alone with Dad. I took a seat on the sofa closest to him. Dad ate a couple bites, then sat back and looked at me.

"Bella looks like she's doing just fine," he said.

I turned to see that Bella was still in the kitchen chatting with Rosalie. My heart clenched as I remembered the panic of the previous evening. I hefted a sigh and nodded. "I couldn't have helped her without you last night, Dad. Thank you." I had to press my fingers to my eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"I was happy to help, son." He was quiet for a few minutes to let me compose myself. Then he asked, "How will things progress for her father now?"

I cleared my throat. "The police will review our statements and the reports I filed. They'll bring up charges against him and he should be sentenced to serve time. I've got several things on him. I'll need to keep in contact to make sure the case is progressing like it should. I'll know more next week."

Carlisle finished his cake and ice cream and grinned as he turned his full attention on me. "My Edward, married. I have to say I'm surprised. Not even a love interest, and all of a sudden, a wife. Your Mother is beside herself." He chuckled and balled up his napkin. "But she's coming around."

I leaned forward on my knees and rubbed my forehead. "I'll admit, not telling you guys seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago. This relationship is very new for us, so I wanted it to develop slowly and quietly. I hope Mom doesn't think I've done this to spite her. It was nothing like that."

Dad glanced fondly at Mom. She was bustling about in the kitchen, tending to everyone. "Are you happy?" His eyes came back to me.

I smiled, thinking of all that I had gained, all that I could have lost. "Yeah, Dad. I'm happy."

"Then that's all that matters."

**.**

It was very late when we finally got ready for bed. I brought Bella into the bathroom with me and sat her up on the counter. She gave me a sleepy grin. I took off her bandages and checked the wounds on her wrists. They were healing well and the scratch on her head was looking better. I re-wraped her wrists and put a fresh bandage on her forehead.

"How's the soreness in your arms? Do you need Ibuprofen?"

She shook her head. "I think I'm okay. They're not as sore as they were this morning." To demonstrate, she put her arms around my neck.

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. I picked her up, holding her against my body, and set her on her feet. Her front was mashed against my front, but she didn't move away. "You are feeling better," I said.

"Maybe you need my help getting undressed," she whispered. Her fingers toyed with my collar at the back of my neck.

I leaned forward and touched my lips to hers before stepping back. I held her eyes the whole time with my own. "Where do you want me?"

Her lips went slightly slack as her breathing turned choppy. My breathing suffered the same as hers. The blood in my body took a nosedive southward.

"Here's good," she breathed.

I slid my glasses higher on my nose and nodded. Waiting. Growing more anxious and excited.

Bella put her hands flat on my stomach under my shirt. My muscles clenched and I held my breath. She slid her hands up, teasing my skin, taking my shirt as she went. Her hands rode over my nipples and I bit back a groan of pleasure. She made it to my shoulders and I leaned down so she could pull the shirt over my head.

Her touch made me heavy and hot. Languid. Warmth rushed through every part of me while she looked her fill. Touched her fill. Finally her fingertips converged below my bellybutton, her thumbs pressing at the fly of my jeans.

I pressed my hips forward, arms hanging down at my sides, giving her better access. I swallowed hard as she pulled the zipper down. I felt the vibrations all the way to my balls.

I did let out a groan then. Bella's wide eyes flew up to mine. "Keep going," I wheezed.

Her hands cupped my sides, sliding underneath my jeans, taking them over my boxers. I gasped when they popped free of my erection.

I thought Bella would linger, tease me with waiting, before taking off my boxers. She didn't. As soon as my jeans fell to my knees, she reached up and yanked my boxers down.

I hissed in response to the friction. "Bella..."

Her eyes were focused on my erection. It was standing nearly straight up at attention.

I closed my eyes and waited, so afraid she was going to touch me. So afraid that she wouldn't.

The first delicate touch had my hips jutting for more contact. She became bolder and wrapped her hand around me.

It was wonderful. Her touch was new and foreign. She explored my length with careful, tender hands. I groaned again and reached for Bella. I pulled her tight in my arms and hugged her to my chest. I clasped the wrist of the hand she still held on to me with. "That's enough for tonight." I kissed the top of her head. "We don't need to go any farther."

She let out a small sound of protest and released me.

I chuckled. "You saw me naked. You got what you wanted," I said.

Her smile was slow. "But now I want more."


	22. Chapter 22

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Twenty-Two

I was a nervous wreck. Bella and I were almost to the point of doing it. Going all the way. Sexual intercourse.

But I had a very relevant concern.

I had to leave a message on Jasper's voice mail for him to call me back as soon as he could. I fretted until my own phone rang.

"Yo, bro. How's it going?" Jasper fired as soon as I answered.

I took a steadying breath. "I need to ask you a personal question."

"Okaay," he drawled. "Shoot."

Swallowing hard, I said, "How do I make Bella's first time good for her?"

"First time?" Jasper's voice rose in pitch. "Do you mean..."

"Sex," I mumbled.

"You mean you haven't hit that yet?"

"No," I said, indignant. "I wouldn't, I mean... I haven't tried hitting anything, ever. And I know that it's not going to be pleasant for her. At least, that's what I've heard..."

"Wait, wait. Ed. Are you telling me that you've never been with a woman?"

"No..." I trailed off, not wanting to go into details about my sex life.

"No shit," Jasper said, his tone colored with disbelief.

"So... Can you give me some advice?"

I heard him shuffling around over the line before he quieted and began. "You just gotta... make sure she's ready. Get her hot and bothered before you even try to stick your dick in her. That means, if she ain't wet, you've done a piss poor job of turning her on. But I don't know, Edward. I've never fucked a virgin before."

I cringed at his choice of words. "Okay. I think I can do that. Then what?"

"Then... Go slow, I guess. Pay attention to her. Don't get all caught up in how good your cock feels in her. You need to make sure she's feelin' it too. Got it?"

"Uhm... Maybe."

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah"?

"Don't fuck it up." Then Jasper disconnected the call.

Well, if that didn't inspire confidence...

I tossed the phone on my desk in my home office and checked the time. It was late. Jasper took longer to return my call than I thought he would. I propped my elbows on the desk and scrubbed my face and rubbed my eyes before heading to bed.

I was all tied up in knots. Many strings comprised these knots. Anxiety. Anticipation. Impatience. Desire. Lust. Insanity. Even happiness. Then the happiness thread would become unraveled when the other knots and threads began to pull against one another.

I needed to be untied.

The one tying all the knots? Bella. And only she knew how to untie them. If I would only let her. But I hadn't. Not yet.

I'd given her time to heal and recuperate. Time for us to become accustomed to each other. Then other various things had gotten in the way.

And Bella had no intentions of playing fair. My wife was hellbent on cranking my knots so tightly that I feared they'd never come undone.

That, or I was going to spontaneously combust.

Sleeping in the same bed every night was a new form of cruel and unusual torture. I was certain Bella knew exactly what she was doing to me. She was doing her damnedest to bring me over to the dark side. Not that anything about Bella was dark. Not at all. She was all that was good and lovely. And I wanted her like a thirsty man needing a drink. She was probably just as frustrated as I was.

It had been several weeks since Father's Day, already mid-July. And this weekend was Emmett's and Rosalie's wedding. Both Bella and I had been given parts in their wedding. I was a co-best man with Jasper, and Rosalie had invited Bella to be a bridesmaid. Bella was honored to be included, and I was grateful to Rosalie for making the effort to include my new wife in the family festivities. The whole family had reached out to accept her. In the morning, Tru would go to the dog kennel for the weekend. Bella and I had reservations near the wedding venue.

I would also be thankful if Bella didn't find it necessary to send me into a raging fit of desire every night before we turned the lights out to got to sleep.

Tonight, I was sequestered on my side of the bed, covers pulled up to my chin, as Bella left the bathroom in a long T-shirt. One of mine. I would have done the gentlemanly thing and looked away from her as she came toward the bed, but I kept catching an enticing glimpse of rounded, fleshy backside, just above the back of her thigh.

Bella wasn't wearing any panties.

I gulped and lay back, settling uneasily on the pillow. I mentally gave my private bits a stern talking to.

Bella slid in on her side and shut off the lamp.

I allowed myself to relax, only a miniscule amount, as I listened to her settle down under the covers. In the next instant, I had a rampant hard-on tenting the blankets over my lower body. Bella had slid over and curled herself around me.

I could feel her heat burning at my thigh.

"I'm a little cold," she said.

I started to rise. "Let me go turn down the air."

Bella stopped me with a hot hand on my wrist. "No. Just let me cuddle here with you."

I'd gotten used to holding my breath a lot when around Bella. I don't know why I did it, but I did. I held my breath and waited, feeling all those threads pull tight.

I didn't snore much anymore. I'd hardly get into a very deep sleep, always afraid I'd wake up on top of Bella, thrusting my way to ecstasy. Inside her.

I was going crazy imagining how she would feel. Definitely not like using my hand to find release.

My breath gushed through my teeth when Bella, oh, God... she slid herself against my outer thigh. I suppose I never understood the concept of a woman being "wet" until the morning after her kidnapping when I'd touched her so intimately. She was slippery now, I could feel it on my thigh, and I didn't know how much more I could take.

"Bella," I whispered. "I don't think you're very cold."

"You make me hot." There was a tremor in her voice.

I blinked and shifted, catching fire. "Your monthlies? It stopped?" I felt my face burning to ask such a question. But one of the reasons we'd been waiting was because her period had started last week. After everything else that had prevented us from consummating our marriage.

"Mmmhmm."

The bedroom seemed to echo with our heavy breathing. I could just roll over and put her underneath me. Slip my T-shirt over her head, finally give in and take what was rightfully mine. Finally cherish a woman's body for the very first time in my life.

And that's how I found myself when my senses came back to me. On my knees, incredibly aroused, crouching over Bella with her soft, wonderful breasts in my hands. I don't know how long I touched her and fondled her, but I wanted more of her.

Her hands crept up my arms, pushing under the sleeves of my T-shirt, and her little nails scratched my skin at the tops of my arms. It gave me goosebumps.

My hands went lower, down her chest, the inward curve of her belly, to the tops of her hips. "Why aren't you wearing panties? Do you have any idea what that does to me?"

Bella was completely out of breath. "Hopefully the same thing it does to me..."

"What's that?" I asked offhand.

"Makes me feel a little naughty."

I was sliding farther down her body. "Yeah," I breathed. I had the most uncontrollable desire to bury my face between her legs. It was something I'd always heard about, oral sex, but an act I didn't think I'd ever get to experience.

I caressed her lower belly with my nose. Her skin was a tempting, soft invitation. I let myself stay there, trying to come to my senses, but I was afraid I'd already lost them. Completely.

"Bella... I can't stop myself. But I will if you tell me to. I've got to see something... I have to know..."

"It feels so good, Edward. I want you to touch me. I'm so glad it's you touching me."

I rested my forehead against her, taking in the gravity of the moment. I didn't even know what I was doing, but I didn't care. She wanted this. I wanted this.

Bella's body was vibrating with tiny tremors. I guessed she was nervous – nervous and turned on like I was.

The soft tufts of hair that hid her feminine sweetness tickled my chin. I was already intoxicated by the smell of her. How was that even possible? I needed more.

I wished I had my glasses on and the lights up so I could blaze the moment into visual memory. But the touching, tasting, and caressing was enough. My hands couldn't touch enough of her skin. Her incredibly soft inner thighs were fast becoming one of my favorite parts of her.

The bed shook harder when I pushed Bella's thighs farther apart. "Is this okay?" I asked her, proud that I could still form a coherent sentence. I was being as careful as possible not to hurt her, but this was all new to me. Not that I hadn't imagined every act I wanted to try out with the woman I loved...

"Yes," she gasped.

My fingertips were only inches away from... what was I supposed to call it? Her center? Her sex? I could think of ridiculous names for it, even names I'd heard it called that seemed much too carnal and vulgar. Bella was neither ridiculous nor vulgar. We were both innocents when it came to sex. But I had a feeling that it was going to be like a form of heaven for me.

I inched closer and finally touched her. The very tips of my fingers slicked with her wetness as I grazed the slit of her sex. Bella's reaction was explosive. She arched off the bed and squirmed away. Her panting turned loud.

I immediately thought that I had hurt her. I reared back on my knees farther away from her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that would happen. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Bella had her knees up to her chest while she rolled from side to side. She was laughing.

"What in the world is going on?"

She laughed a little harder, still panting. She rubbed her knees together. "You didn't hurt me." She giggled and sat up, crawling to me. "I didn't expect that either. It was kind of intense. Sorry." Bella wrapped her arms around me and began lifting my shirt. I let her tug the T up and off.

Being naked, chest to chest with Bella was another fantastic sensation. The billowy flesh of her breasts felt plump and soft under my harder pecs. Her nipples were hard next to my skin. I still had my boxers on, and I wasn't about to take them off. If I started rubbing against her with nothing between us I'd be finished before the whole event began.

I buried my nose in her hair and trailed my hands down her hips. I was even bold enough to slide them over her backside and cup her in my hands. "You're so little."

"Why do you sound so sad when you say that? I'm a full grown woman, Edward. I've even gained some weight, since you've been cooking for me."

I couldn't stop caressing the cheeks of her bottom. I smiled and kissed her on the side of her head. Her body had changed since I first met her. She'd filled out in places that were too thin. "You're still small to my hands."

With no warning, Bella bit my right nipple. I bellowed and jumped away. It was weird, slightly painful, but it felt kind of good. I rubbed it as I circled around the bed.

"What was that for?"

She was kneeling in the middle of the bed, naked and beautiful. "That was for what you were thinking."

I took my glasses from the nightstand and slipped them on. I had to bite my lip as I frowned at her. "And what was I thinking?" I rested my hands at my hips.

Bella crawled to the edge of the bed and she brought my blood to boiling point. She wasn't trying to be seductive, but my body thought otherwise. "For thinking I'm too small, or fragile, or breakable. I'm not, Edward. So don't treat me like you shouldn't be touching me."

"I don't think that... Well, maybe. I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt you."

"Well, stop it. If it hurts, it hurts. I'll get over it. You'll get over it. Every woman in the history of mankind has gotten over it." She'd crossed an arm over her breasts and held on to her elbow.

"You're right," I finally said. "This is new for me. I'm sorry I've been hesitant." I stepped up to the bed and set a knee on it. I held my arms open and she rushed into them. She pressed herself so hard against me, I had to put my foot back on the floor to balance while I kissed her. Hard and fierce and passionately. My arms were wrapped around her, her long hair tangled in my hands. I cupped her bottom pulled her to me. I pressed her middle to my erection, rubbing her with it.

Her hands crept down to my boxers, I felt her pushing them down. I squeezed both handfuls of her bottom and licked her lips. This was happening. Finally. My heart was running away with me.

The boxers slipped down over my hips but caught on my erection. I put some space between us and brought my hands to her waist. I remembered what Jasper had told me. I relaxed my arm, hovering my palm over her stomach, her lower belly, all the way down to her furred mound. I didn't surprise her with my touch this time. I eased my palm on her and held her like that.

I groaned when the elastic band of the boxers popped over my hard-on. Kissing her deeper, I moved my hand in small circles, collecting all the moisture I found between her folds. She was wet, but was she ready?

I ripped my lips from hers with a gasp. "Bella, I need you to tell me when you're ready. Okay?"

Her smiled flashed as she pulled me down with her on the bed. The heat between us was unbelievable. Her legs spread beneath me and my erection notched right into her slick folds. I experimented with a thrust. Slippery, hot, so good.

The next thrust went lower, and the head of my erection met with a deeper heat, more wetness. I held myself up and looked down between us. I groaned at the picture we made, her thighs hugging my hips, my hardness poised at the brink of her wet, pink flesh.

"Please tell me you're ready, sweetheart. I need to be inside you." There was a desperate note to my voice.

"Yes, I think so... but, don't you think we should use a condom, or something?"

As the last word left her lips, a sinking feeling fell over me. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

"You have some, right?" she asked.

I closed my eyes and shifted my hips away from her. "Why would I have condoms? Shit... I didn't even think!"

"Edward?"

"Ah, damn it. I'm so sorry, Bella. I forgot all about protection. And I don't have anything in this house, because I've never had need of it." I rolled and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the light coming from the bathroom.

"I would have to drive into Morehead City this late at night. The superstore there is open twenty-four hours."

Bella kissed the top of my arm and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll get some tomorrow. I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier."

I took her hand and kissed the top of it. "Not your fault. I can't believe it never occurred to me to get something." Bella wasn't on birth control because I figured she'd never seen a doctor for that type of thing.

I sighed, so disappointed in myself. But it was late and we had to leave in the morning. Do you think we'll be able to get some sleep tonight? We've got a big weekend ahead of us."

"I love you," she whispered in my ear.

I got us both under the covers and held her close. I chuckled and shook my head. "I love you, too. And I'm sorry I disappointed you tonight."

"You didn't disappoint me. You were doing pretty good."

I laughed and closed my eyes. She always seemed to bring my spirits up. "I'll make it up to you. We'll do better next time," I promised her.


	23. Chapter 23

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Twenty-Three

By mid-morning, Bella and I were on the road to Raleigh. And I had four boxes of four different brands of condoms packed away in my duffel in the trunk. I wanted to be safe, rather than sorry. Prepared. There were different sizes, shapes, and... attributes. Ribbed? Ridged? Little fingers? I grabbed everything I could see that might work. We just needed to try them all out to find out which we liked best. I couldn't wait.

"Tru looked so sad when we left him at that kennel," Bella said from the passenger seat. She was staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by. "Like we were betraying his trust."

I reached over and took Bella's hand. "Tru is just fine. They'll take excellent care of him." I squeezed her hand and held on to it. The kennel on the island offered top-notch weekend care. Tru was having a weekend getaway that nearly cost as much as our own – hotel room and all. "He'll be much happier there instead of being cooped up in our hotel room for hours at a time."

Her hand squeezed mine in return.

We had a long stretch of road ahead of us. I figured now would be a good time to ask her something that had been bothering me.

"I've been wondering what you think about something," I began.

She turned to the side, facing me now. "What?"

"Do you want to have children with me?"

She started to speak, but then stopped and changed her tone of voice. "Who else would I have children with?"

I flipped my eyes off the road to look at her. She was frowning at me, shaking her head. I chuckled as warmth spread through me. "Perhaps I didn't word that correctly. Would you ever want to have children?"

I heard her sigh and adjust herself in the passenger seat. She still had a hold on my hand with both of hers. Her thumbs were sliding over the top of it – slightly tickling, but nice all the same.

It was something I wanted to know. But Bella was very young and I was positive she wouldn't be ready for kids in her life. Not in the immediate future. I wasn't sure I wanted children.

"Maybe," she said softly. "When the time is right."

I nodded.

Then she asked, "Do you want kids?"

I let out a breath. "I don't know. I'm almost scared to raise a child this day in age. If I had a son, would he suffer like I did growing up? If I had a daughter... God, I'd probably turn into an overbearing ogre. And quite possibly a murderer. I'd never have any peace ever again." I had to ease up on the steering wheel. My grip had gone steel tight.

"Wow. Okay," Bella said. "Let's... leave the kids discussion for a later date. Ask me again in a year."

I let out a short laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

**.**

The wedding rehearsal turned out to be a whopping surprise, simply because I was not partnered with Bella in the groomsmen/bridesmaids lineup – to my utter shock. As co-best man with Jasper, we were paired with Rosalie's two sisters, who were her maids of honor.

The venue was a country estate which belonged to Rosalie's grandparents. The ceremony was taking place under twin oak trees, both heavy-limbed with summer foliage and wrapped in twinkle lights. With clear skies, it was a beautiful weekend to have a wedding.

So after I'd walked another woman up the aisle on my arm and stood waiting beside Jasper and Emmett, I had to watch my sweet Bella being escorted down the aisle by some guy who looked like The Rock.

Since meeting Bella and falling in love with her and marrying her, I'd discovered that I possessed a rather protective nature. It rubbed me the wrong way seeing another man's hands on her. Though her small hand was resting on his large forearm. I didn't like it.

Her eyes were wide and uneasy as she walked by his side. The wedding director was barking directions at everyone. They finally broke apart and she lined up next to the women in her spot. She let out a huge breath, her eyes never leaving mine.

I raised my eyebrows behind my glasses, silently asking if she was okay. She nodded quickly and gave me a slight smile. I eased up and focused on what we were being told to do, since we didn't want to mess it up the next day.

The hulk standing beside me elbowed me in the ribs and said out of the corner of his lips, "She's pretty, isn't she."

I narrowed my eyes and turned to the guy. Side by side, he only had about two inches on me. But he had more bulk, and judging from the way his T-shirt clung to the definition on his body, ninety-nine percent of it was all muscle. His short black hair had seen the trimmers recently. And he was eyeballing my wife.

"She's beautiful," I said belligerently.

"Yeah," he said, then turned to me with his darkly tanned hand extended. "Jacob Black. I teach auto mechanics at the same high school as Emmett and Rose."

I frowned as I shook his hand. "Edward Cullen. Emmett's brother."

He introduced himself to Jasper next. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans and continued to watch Bella. I finally relaxed again and was able to smile for her.

"God, look at her blush. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen."

Hearing Jacob speak low behind me set me off again. My arms came up and crossed at my chest. My jaw clenched. My teeth ground together. By that time, the preacher was giving a rundown of the actual ceremony. Rosalie and Emmett were holding hands in front of the preacher, giggling at each other.

I heard Jasper expel a breath. He had his back to me, and all of a sudden I realized how quiet he had been during all the rehearsal hassle. I laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned in. "You okay, Jasper?" I stage whispered.

He grunted and nodded, still focused on the preacher. I gave his shoulder a pat and released him. Some mighty odd behavior for him, definitely indicating that something was up. I made plans to talk to him later in the evening when we'd been relieved of our duties.

The preacher finally signaled that it was time to take up our wedding partners' arms and retreat back down the grassy aisle. White chairs lined the path. My partner, Tanya, said, "This is going to be such a gorgeous wedding. Don't you think so?" she directed at me.

"Yeah," I said, gaze straight ahead. "Looks like it."

From behind me I heard Bella say, "... that man in front of us, he's the most handsome man I've ever seen."

My steps slowed and I whipped my head around to the side. Bella's hand was laying on Jacob Black's arm, but she was smiling at me. She winked when she saw me looking.

I bit the inside of my cheek. My self-esteem taking so much selfish pleasure out of the fact that she was making such a declaration in front of her insanely good-looking partner. I turned my head and said to her, loud enough for others to hear, "Don't make me come back there and kiss you until your knees buckle."

Jacob Black had a look of suspicious confusion on his face. "Wait, is he your..?"

"Husband," Bella supplied, loud and clear.

I couldn't wipe the grin off my face for at least an hour afterward.

**.**

Strippers. Halfway into Emmett's stag party, and I found out that his buddies had hired strippers. Emmett was outgoing and social and he had tons of friends. School chums, football teammates, neighbors, all good friends to him. The hall was full of them. There was booze on every table. Ribald laughter filled the air around me. I needed to get out. It was too much like that horrible night in college that I regretted.

Music started playing, loud and heavy, and the crowd of boisterous men began shouting and whooping and hollering. Cheers and whistles deafened me. Somebody, Emmett, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the middle of the floor.

"Do my brother first! He didn't get a bachelor party. Do him first!" Emmett shouted. His breath was scented with some kind of alcohol and his spirits were high. But I didn't want this at all.

"Lap dance!" the crowd around me chanted.

Emmett shoved me down into a chair. "No, no." I laughed and held up my hands. Mistake. Big, big mistake.

One of the hired women was dressed as a police officer. She took advantage of my raised hands and clapped a pair of handcuffs on me. Emmett even helped her. Before I could blink, they both had my hands cranked back behind the chair. The handcuffs were real metal. My throat started closing up in panic.

"Shit! Emmett, don't do this. Let me up. I can't do this. Please." I yanked at the cuffs, but they had locked them down somehow.

"Enjoy it, brother." Emmett pounded me on the shoulder and left me in the middle of the floor, crowd heaving around me. I broke out into a sweat. A unanimous groan went through the crowd. I looked up to see the woman in the police uniform pointing at me.

I gulped and started sweating.

She said, "You're in a lot of trouble, mister." That was met with a chorus of "ooohs" when she popped the first button on her uniform. Her breasts were soon spilling out of the shirt; the cups of her bra hid very little.

She swayed in front of me, losing her hat, loosening her long black hair as she tossed her head. Her hands molded down the sides of her body, bringing attention to all her gyrating curves. She whipped off her belt and cracked it like a whip right under my nose. I threw my head back to avoid getting hit. The roar in the hall reached an insane decibel level.

I had my eyes closed when she hopped onto my lap and swiveled her hips. She hooked her belt behind my neck and yanked my head forward. "So hard. Is that for me, big boy?" she said into my ear. Her tongue flicked my lobe when she was through speaking.

I was ashamed to own up to it, but my penis was thinking for itself at the moment. It was acting against my wishes. I shook my head at her. "It's definitely not for you," I growled.

She arched backward, thrusting her barely-covered breasts up. I couldn't move away from them because she still had the belt around my neck. My nose touched one of them.

"Okay, that's enough. Please take the cuffs off. Now."

"Not yet, big daddy. I still have my big finish. Be a good boy and I may let you suck on my titties in front of everyone."

"Nope! I'm done!" I stood up, dumping the stripper on the floor. She squealed in outrage, but I didn't care. I turned around, chair still attached to my ass and crept to the sidelines. "Emmett! Get these handcuffs off me right now!"

"Dude!" Emmett belched and listed to the side. "That was flippintubeyoo... lations. I'mmuhn next."

"You're drunk!" I accused.

"Guiltily as chhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarr rrrggggge!" Emmett barreled out into the middle of the hall with his fist raised high, and all around me, his buddies egged him on.

I pushed my way through the crowd and sat down by the door. I was utterly humiliated. The only consolation I took was that everyone was too drunk and wouldn't remember what had happened. What a mess. I was happy to note, however, that my erection had subsided.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to forget.

Someone began tinkering with the cuffs and I turned to find that Jasper had come to my rescue. I sighed with massive relief. "Thank God," I groaned.

As soon as I was free, I jumped up and rubbed my wrists.

"Come on, let's go outside. I can't stand the stink in here, and I need a smoke." Jasper pushed through the door and I followed.

Jasper sat down at a little bench situated under a grove of trees. "It's a fuckin' frat house in there," he grumbled.

I sat, slipping my glasses off and rubbing my eyes. "That was the second worst experience of my life."

Jasper grunted and puffed. "What was the first?"

All my breath left me in a rush. I replaced my glasses and looked at Jasper. He was contemplatively smoking his cigarette.

"My sophomore year, there was a party on campus, much like what's going on inside. I got so drunk, I woke up the next morning in bed with a girl I didn't know. I didn't remember anything that happened. It was horrible."

"Thought you said you were a virgin."

"I seriously doubt we were coherent enough to get the job done. And I've never tried to be with anyone since then." I dropped my head into my hands. "I've not even been with Bella yet. So, that, _in there_, felt awful. It was fake. I don't want to be touched or teased by a stranger. I only want Bella. She's what's real."

"That explains a lot about you, bro. I never realized something like that had happened. I just thought you were a natural stick in the mud."

I snorted.

"So Bella's real, huh?" He nodded. "I found the real one, too."

I began to smile as I watched Jasper. "You did?"

"Yeah. That Alice Brandon. I love her."

"You don't seem very happy about it."

"How am I supposed to fit into her life? How's she supposed to fit into mine? What am I gonna do, quit the Army and get a civilian job? I wasn't a college boy like you and Emmett. I'm too old to go changing that. This is all I got. This is it."

"Have you talked to her about how you're feeling?"

Jasper snorted and spit into the bushes. "You're funny, Ed."

I frowned. So my big brother had weaknesses after all. "Hm," I grunted. "Then love has made you stupid."

"What did you just say to me?"

"You're a dumb shit."

He narrowed an eye at me and held his smoke up. "Don't make me throw down this cigarette."

"Intimidated by a woman. A short one, too."

"That's it," he gritted out and stomped the glowing cigarette butt into the ground. Jasper grabbed me by the collar and slammed me back against a tree.

I held up my hands in front of his face, showing that I was defenseless. "You've just got to love her, Jazz. That means you need to give her a chance. You need to give yourself a chance." I squeezed his shoulders when all the tension seemed to leak out of him.

Jasper cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry 'bout that. I don't like being called..."

"Yeah," I nodded in understanding. "I know. Got your attention, though."

Still preoccupied, he clenched his jaw and nodded. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night. You might want to check on your girl. They had strippers at their party, too."

My stomach bottomed out. "What?"

I looked back at the civic hall. One side of the facility was Emmett's party, the other side was Rosalie's. Bella was in there. Would they have tried to handcuff her, like they did with me?

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Not good.


	24. Chapter 24

My Little Runaway  
written by  
Maddux and BrokenFirePen

Chapter Twenty-Four

There was loud dance remix music blaring all the way down the hallway from Rosalie's Hen party. My shoes slapped against the glossy floor as I ran, pulse racing, breath huffing.

The door to the large room had a window in it. I pressed my face into it to see what was happening inside. But someone was standing in front of the glass and I couldn't see a thing. I tried the handle; it wouldn't budge - locked. I pounded on the door to get someone's attention. An older woman turned and saw me. She frowned and jerked her thumb, indicating that I should get lost.

"Open up!" I yelled.

She turned her back on me and walked away. That's when I saw what everyone's attention was centered on.

A male stripper, half out of his police uniform was at the front of the room, pumping his hips in someone's face. The woman was sitting in a chair, but she wasn't handcuffed. Her hands were planted on the guy's ass. His handcuffs were dangling from his belt and sung wildly as he worked his muscular torso.

I did breathe a little easier, but I didn't want to watch the stripper do his business. I scanned the crowd of screaming women. I couldn't find Bella.

I turned away and sat down in the hall. I would wait for her to come out.

As I sat, I thought about things. The last three – whirlwind – months caught up with me in a flash. The thumping music around me faded and I went back home in my mind. I felt completely humbled all of a sudden. I went from a lonely man to a man with his heart so full in such a short amount of time.

I hadn't been looking to fall in love, but Bella just walked right by me one day, and everything fell into place after that. I smiled to myself. So much change, yet life looked so good at the moment. It looked like... happily ever after.

Because the antagonist of our story had been dealt with. The evidence against Charlie Swan had been so overwhelming, and maybe because of a sudden attack of conscience, he plead guilty to all the charges brought against him, forfeiting any appeals. He was looking at a maximum of thirty years in prison, with the chance of parole in fifteen years. Bella wouldn't be bothered by him for a long, long time.

She never let it get to her. She never let her father's oppressive spirit affect her. She was resilient and wonderful, and tonight, she would be all mine.

The party went on an on until the door finally opened and a few inebriated women left. It was nearing midnight. I stood and looked inside.

Bella was with Alice. They were deep in conversation, whispering. Bella giggled at something Alice said. I had to clear my throat before they quieted and looked up.

"Edward!" Bella grinned up at me. I smiled back, said hello to Alice.

"Everything okay? Did you have fun?" I tried not to appear worried out of my mind.

Bella and Alice laughed in answer to this. I raised my eyebrows at the both of them.

"Well. I'll see you two tomorrow," Alice said. She winked at Bella before taking her leave.

"What was that about?" I asked.

Bella shrugged and picked up her bag off the table, still smiling. She walked up to me and pressed her chest to mine. "Take me back to the hotel," she whispered, brown eyes twinkling.

My brows went together in confusion as my lips pulled a slow grin. "Ah... Okay. I'd be happy to." I knew something was up. Something was definitely a little different.

The air in the car was crackling with energy and unspoken words. My body started to buzz when we parked and got out of the car. My hand was trembling when I went to swipe the key card.

The night outside the hotel was sultry and hot. The air conditioning inside was a blessed relief. I started tugging my shirt out of my jeans. "Do you want the shower first?"

Her hands landed on my lower back where I'd exposed my skin. They moved around my waist to my navel. My breath gushed out of me as I moaned.

"After," was all she said.

"After...?" I breathed.

In answer, her wrists collected my T-shirt as her fingertips explored upward, sliding over my abs and my ridiculously excited nipples. I groaned when she touched those. She brought the shirt over my head, and her lips found my back. Hot breath and wet tongue – the hint of teeth – it was amazing.

She began undoing my belt and the button over the fly of my jeans. Even though she was driving me to distraction, I helped pull the zipper down.

I swayed a bit when her hands brushed over the front of my boxer briefs because my knees weren't locking. The slow-quick thump of blood slogging through my veins was a heady rush, preparing my pleasure receptors to react. And react they did when Bella massaged my erection through my underwear. I had to stop her and pull her hand away.

I kicked at my shoes and my pants tangled around my ankles, and turned to look at my beautiful wife. I bent down and reached around her, hefting her to lip level, and kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her.

We fell together on the bed. I started low on her legs, sliding my hands up under the dress I'd bought for her. Now I was getting to take it off her. Up and up until I found her little blue panties, her little white bra.

"Raise up," I told her, and pulled the dress off over her head. She flipped her sandals off and scooted backward on top of the bed.

"You pull the covers down, I'll get the condoms," I said.

I rushed to my bag where I'd left it earlier in the day when we'd checked in. I pulled out each box and dumped the armful on the bedside table. I picked one box and ripped it open, and pulled off one packet from a whole perforated pack of them. I set it within arm's reach when I returned to Bella.

She had already taken everything off. Her hands were in her hair loosening it from its clips, breasts thrust high, legs slightly open.

"I love you like this," fell out of my mouth without thought, but the words were backed by strong feeling.

She smiled. "Take off your shorts," she said.

Of course, I easily complied.

"There's nothing to stop us tonight. Are you ready?" I asked her.

She gazed at my engorged, bobbing member and nodded. "Oh, yeah," she said.

I chuckled and sat down on the bed and removed my socks. Bella put her arms around me and kissed my neck. I sighed, soaking up the blissful moment. She pulled me down flat on the bed and took my lips from the side. She slid her hands across my chest, and I grasped her around her waist, dragging her over and on top of me.

The heat between her legs burned my belly while the tip of my erection brushed her backside. Oh, but her breasts were in just the perfect spot. I reached up and filled my hands with her. My thumbs teased her hard nipples with little brushes.

"I like this," I whispered.

I pinched and pulled on her, ever so lightly, and watched her head fall back. Her hair landed on my erection, tickling, caressing, arousing me beyond boiling point.

I sat up and held on to her while I turned us, putting her beneath me. My hands were everywhere. Lips, too. I was driven by a frenzy to consume her.

Amid the loud sighs and panting breaths, I brought my hand down to the apex of her thighs. I dipped my fingers inside, slow and easy, and found her slick and scorching. Her legs widened and she pressed herself on my hand. My thumb rolled over a particular ridge of flesh and her hips shot up off the bed.

"Was that good or bad?" I asked her.

"Good," she panted, "but it's almost too much when you touch it directly."

"So what should I do?" I caressed around it, teasing, really.

She whined and threw her hands over her face. "That. Oh, please, do that," she mumbled.

I grinned and did as she asked for as long as she could take it, all the while I tasted her breasts and nipples.

She finally grabbed my head and pulled me to face her. "I'm ready! So ready, Edward."

My nostrils flared as I nodded. My hand shot out for the foil packet on the nightstand. I ripped it open, nearly losing the condom. It rolled on to my erection so snug and tight.

I kissed Bella's lips, quickly, before falling back on my knees, positioning us both. _Slow. Go slow_, I chanted silently.

I had to take myself in hand to find her hot, hot opening. I couldn't breathe properly. _Go slow._

My mouth dropped open and a sound came out of me that I'd never heard before as I slid a little ways inside her. Hot. Good. Tight. _Slow. Pay attention to her._

I experimented with short thrusts, finding that it was too tight to proceed without putting more force behind each thrust. Her slickness coated the tip of me. I pulled out and wet the rest of it by sliding through her folds. Better, easier to slide in.

I gathered her up in my arms, held her tight. "This is probably the part that hurts."

She locked her arms around my back, legs opened wide for my hips. "It's okay. Do it."

I was locked in place. All I had to do was push – hard. And fast. Or should I do it slow?

I grabbed the backs of both her thighs and pulled them up to my armpits. I thrust in hard.

Bella made a strangled noise and I instantly froze and let go of her legs. Her nails dug into my back and it was difficult for me to hold still. The intimate embrace of her inner muscles invited movement.

I hugged her and buried my face in her hair, breathing hard. "Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, that kinda hurt."

I started to pull away.

"No." She held me tight. "Give me a minute."

I propped up on my elbows so I was able to look into her eyes. I could see the shock of pain in them. "I'm so sorry." I cupped her face and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her chin, her lips.

"Bella, I love you." I kissed her nose. "We can stop if it hurts so much."

"When I've finally got you where I want you? I don't think so." She shifted her hips, and I let out a groan that traveled all the way up from my balls.

"It's not so bad now."

"You sure?" I asked through gritted teeth.

She nodded.

I went slow. Slow and easy and controlled. Looking into her eyes as I made love to her added a whole new level to the experience. Made it deeper. Made my whole body tremble.

"How does it feel?" I had to ask. I kept up a slow thrusting rhythm, enjoying the sensations of our skin rubbing together. Her soft, warm thighs on the fronts of mine. The way our bellies touched when we inhaled.

"Mmmm." She arched beneath me, driving me inside her at a different angle.

I groaned. "So good. You feel so good, Bella."

She snaked her hand between us and I felt it moving quickly at my lower belly. I pushed up and looked down to watch. She was rubbing her fingers over that sensitive ridge of flesh.

"Do you need me to do that?"

"No," she said. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

I became bolder with each thrust, pulling out farther, rocking deep into her. My hips took over, rolling faster, until every muscle became rigid with tension.

My fingers had balled up the bedsheets just above Bella's head. Her mouth was open with a silent cry, her lips were red and swollen, and at that moment, heat and wetness gushed between us. Her inner muscles clamped hard around me.

"Oh, Bella! Don't!" was all I could shout before the undulant movements deep inside her pulled me under and destroyed me. Destroyed my control. Destroyed my speed. The last thrusts were frenzied and hard as I came, emptying everything I had into her.

Wave after wave of pleasure took its toll and I sunk, landing on Bella for support. We were both heaving, sweaty, and spent.

I couldn't find the words to apologize. I couldn't move my face. But I found the strength to lift my head.

Bella was smiling up at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold out any longer."

"What for?" She frowned.

"You didn't come."

She began to laugh, and I had to slide out of her. "I did, too. Couldn't you feel it? You were shouting at me. I thought you must have felt something."

"Oh."

I dropped my head and held on to her with my whole body, hugging her. "Good. I'm glad. Did it feel good?"

"Very," she whispered. "How about you?"

"Hell, yes, it felt good!"

She laughed again and kissed my neck and shoulder. "We can shower, now."

I grinned and lifted my head. "Together?"

She cupped the side of my face and smiled. "Together."


End file.
